Wing mates
by galadriel3562
Summary: Someone aboard Pegasus just happens to be an old friend of the Commander
1. Chapter 1

_Okay so I suck at introductions, which is probably why this chapter sort of drops right in the middle of everything... just a quick recap for those of you who don't live inside my head. I'm introducing a new character: Colonel Aurora 'Raven' Jacks. She's an officer aboard Pegasus who just happens to have a bit of personal history with our favourite Commander. The first chapter is set shortly after Epiphanies... _

_Reviews are thorougly appreciated... _

**Wing mates **

Chapter 1 – Getting reacquainted

"So," Raven said, pillowing her chin on her hands as she lay draped over William Adama's chest. He looked to be sound asleep but she knew him well enough to know he wasn't.

"When do you plan on telling her?" When she got no immediate answer she elbowed him harshly between the ribs, taking care to steer well clear of the small puckered scars.

"What?" He grumbled.

"When do you plan on telling our beloved President that you would like to frak her senseless?" His eyes flew open and he pushed up so fast, he nearly dumped her out of his rack.

"What?!" He snapped. Raven managed to grab hold of his neck just in time to keep from landing on the floor and glared at him for a moment.

"Easy." She muttered, "No need to get upset."

"Where did you get such a ridiculous idea?" He demanded. Raven smirked, shaking her head as she repositioned herself into his lap.

"Oh come on now, Bill." She said, "It's obvious. And even if it weren't, the fact that you just called me Laura was something of a dead giveaway." For a moment she laughed at the expression on his face.

"I did?" He asked. "Oh my Gods, Raven, I'm sorry."

"I don't mind." A wry smile played across her lips. "Much. I know exactly what this is." He frowned.

"Well, that makes one of us." He said. "So tell me, what exactly is this?" Raven smiled lazily as she started to trail her hand across his broad chest, momentarily running her fingers along the pale white scar.

"I believe the appropriate term is 'bunk buddies'."

"Bunk buddies?" He asked, smiling.

"Captain Thrace has a few more colorful terms which I will not repeat here." Raven said. "We're friends, who just happen to frak occasionally. Doesn't mean anything." She leaned down and kissed him, at the same time running her hand down his chest. He groaned into her mouth as she slipped her hand beneath the blankets, towards his crotch

Raven greatly enjoyed frakking William Adama, always had. They had been wing mates during the last two years of the Cylon war. She'd been a hotshot rookie pilot, fresh out of the Academy when she met him, while he already had a considerable number of combat missions under his belt. Back then it had been common practice in the fleet to pair rookies with more experienced wingmen. It greatly improved the odds of rookies living long enough to become experienced pilots.

It had certainly improved her odds. She'd been good, top of her class in fact, but she'd also been terribly green. Only barely twenty years old when she made her first real combat run. It would also have been her last if not for William 'Husker' Adama. It wasn't so much that he'd saved her life that had drawn her attention, it was the small kindness he'd shown her afterwards, dragging her off into a corner of the hanger deck so no one else saw when she puked her guts out and cried like a little girl. He had held her by the cuff of her flight suit, making sure she didn't get any sick on it, and handed her a dirty oil rag with a mild apologetic shrug once she was done.

That first combat flight had knocked much of the arrogance out of her, and even some of her confidence. He made sure to get that back to her though, keeping close to her wing through the next few runs and talking her through the rough spots. That had earned him her loyalty and friendship, something that would last for a very long time to come.

Two years they'd been one another's wing mate, and they'd survived some tough scrapes together. That sort of thing, fighting side by side day after day, would create a connection between even the most unlikely sort of people. It certainly did for them. They hardly had anything in common. He'd been born in a small town on Caprica, the second son of a working class family. He'd joined the fleet because that had been the only way for him to get any kind of formal education.

She on the other hand had been born in Caprica City itself, the only daughter of very influential parents. Her reasons to join the fleet had been incredibly selfish in hindsight. Not a single thought to protecting her fellow man had come into play. She'd simply wanted out of the life her parents had planned out for her, a life that would have included the finest education, which would only have been abandoned as soon as her mother had found her a suitable husband to marry and have children with. Joining the fleet had simply seemed like the only way out.

But in the squad room of the Battlestar _Daedalus_ they'd found common ground. He'd attended war college, a requirement to attain an officers rank, but the knowledge offered there had been limited to what was practical for a soldier. She on the other hand had had the finest private tutors since she was old enough to walk and as soon as she discovered his thirst for knowledge she set about passing what she knew of such fine things as art, history and philosophy.

They'd talk throughout the long hours there were on watch, waiting for the sirens to sound, discussing the finer points of ancient philosophy, ethics, morality and taste. She'd get them both books and they would read them together, talking them through once they were finished.

When she met him he'd already been married to Caroline, with two small boys waiting for him back on Caprica. They became close, but never crossed that invisible line that was demarked by the small golden wedding band on his right ring finger.

When the war ended a lot of people were dismissed from the fleet. He had been one of them, she wasn't. It had been her surname that kept her in the fleet, even though her parents had long since disowned her and disavowed any knowledge of her existence.

They'd kept in touch over the years, through letters, the occasional wireless call and even more sparring visits. Somewhere in between he got divorced and their relationship changed from a close friendship to a close friendship that happened to include a physical element.

Neither one had been looking to make a permanent partner out of the other, it wouldn't have worked. She was in the fleet, doing rotations that were never shorter than six months, he was on and off freighters all the time, hopping from one side of the system to the other. But it had been comfortable, relaxed even.

And with her arriving back in his life on board the Battlestar Pegasus they had pretty much picked up where they'd left off.


	2. Chapter 2

**Picking up where I left off...**

**Chapter 2 – unfortunate encounters**

About an hour later they were once more lying quietly together. The sweat slowly cooling on their skin and their breathing returning to normal.

"So?" Raven said, bringing up their previous conversation. "Are you going to tell her?"

"Gods, woman." He grumbled without opening his eyes. "Won't you just leave an old man alone to get some sleep?"

"Not until we've discussed this." Raven insisted. With a slightly annoyed grunt Bill opened his eyes and turned to look at her.

"No." He said firmly. "I have no intention of telling anyone anything about my feelings towards Laura Roslin, and I'd certainly appreciate it if you kept your mouth shut as well."

"Give me one good reason." Raven answered with a coy smile. Bill wasn't amused though.

"I mean it Raven." He snapped. "Leave it."

"All right." Raven said, dropping the smile. "But at least tell me why."

"Because." Bill answered with an exasperated sigh.

"That certainly sounds like a plausible and well thought out argument." Bill glared, which would have had any other member of his crew jumping to attention but didn't have all that much affect on her. Something about having his naked chest pressed to her own diminished the intensity of his glare.

"First of all," He started. "She's my Commander in Chief."

"I see." Raven said, as she propped herself up on an elbow. "And yet the fact that it says Colonel on my uniform and Admiral on yours doesn't seem to be bothering you that much."

"That's different."

"Right." Raven answered, the sarcasm dripping off her voice. Bill tried another glare, with even less effect than the previous one.

"Any other reasons?" Raven asked, ignoring his glare.

"I'm not having this discussion." Bill grumbled, turning over on his side and pulling her against his chest. "This is all purely hypothetical anyway. It's not like she's going to reciprocate." He muttered against her shoulder. Raven made herself comfortable in his arms and said nothing. It wasn't long before Bill fell asleep, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Raven lay thinking about all the things that had happened in the past few weeks, but most of all she found herself thinking about Laura Roslin. Personally she'd never been a very big fan of politicians, she'd seen more than enough of their kind in her youth to last her a lifetime. She had to admit thought that as far as politicians went Laura Roslin wasn't half bad, she might even be a decent person.

But when it came to the woman behind the presidency Raven had her suspicions. Suspicions that Bill obviously didn't share or he wouldn't have dismissed the possibility of Laura Roslin returning his feelings so quickly.

There were certain things a woman notices about another woman, especially with regards to close and personal friends. And Raven had certainly noticed a few things about Laura Roslin whenever the President found herself in the company of the Admiral. Nothing conclusive mind you, but enough to make her curious.

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The following morning Raven was grumbling to herself as she stuck her head underneath the Admiral's desk. She cast about for her tanks and was about to call to Bill to ask in which direction he had thrown them last night when she heard a gentle tap on the hatch and a very familiar voice spoke up.

"Admiral are you in here?" Laura Roslin asked.

Raven froze and abruptly abandoning the search for her tanks as she realized that the hatch wasn't locked. She had neglected to spin the wheel upon entering last night, not expecting the particular turn of events that had led to her current situation.

"Frak." She whispered quietly. She was standing all but stark naked in Adama's quarters, wearing nothing other than one of his tanks. And if the President decided to step inside there was nowhere she would be able to hide. All she could do was hope that Roslin would take the continued silence as an indication that the Admiral was out. Unfortunately she didn't.

"I'm sorry to bother you this early…" Laura Roslin said, pushing open the hatch and stepping inside. Abruptly her voice trailed off as she laid eyes on Raven. Raven felt terrible as she watched the other woman's expression. The hurt was there for only a fraction of a second but Raven saw it none the less. Then it was gone and the mask was back in place.

– w_ell _– Raven thought to herself - _that answers that question_ –

When Laura Roslin spoke she did so with absolute poise and calm, in perfect control of her expression and voice.

"Colonel Jacks."

"Madam President." Raven returned, managing a semblance of calm and poise herself in spite of the rather painful situation she now found herself in.

For another moment they stood watching one another, each woman regarding the other with a carefully neutral expression. The moment was interrupted as Bill's voice emerged from the head completely oblivious to the fact that they were no longer alone.

"Raven," He grumbled, "Where did you leave my tanks? I can't find them." Raven sighed quietly but didn't turn her eyes away from Laura Roslin as she answered.

"I have them here."

"Good," Bill grumbled and stepped out into the living area of his quarters, wearing nothing other than his trousers and a towel draped over his shoulders. His hair was still wet from the shower and the lack of glasses made him looked rather owlish when he stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the President. The expression on his face would have been priceless if the situation hadn't been quite so painful.

"Admiral." Laura Roslin said. "I apologize for barging in on you this early, I'll see you later." With that the President of the Twelve colonies turned around and walked out of the room, closing the hatch behind her. Leaving a stunned William Adama in her wake.

"Stop her!" Raven snapped as she yanked his tanks over her head and threw them against his chest. The Admiral was a little slow on the uptake though and neglected to catch them. He managed to unglue his gaze from the hatch and turned to her.

"And do what?"

"Anything!" Raven snapped, not caring in the slightest that she was now indeed stark naked. "If you ever want to have a chance with her you'd better do something!" But the Admiral still didn't move, the look of stun and shock had washed off his face and was now replaced by one of sorrow and melancholy.

"I told you, Raven." He said, as he ducked and picked his tanks up off the floor. "It can't be. I suppose this is for the best." He failed to see the incredulous expression on her face as he shrugged into his tanks at that moment but he didn't fail to hear the exasperated sigh she uttered.

"You are a stupid, fracking, idiot." Raven hissed as she turned her back and started picking up her own uniform, heading for the shower. Adama shrugged in turn and went about looking for his uniform jacket.

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Laura Roslin somehow managed to make it to the conference room where she was supposed to have her first meeting, it was empty, due to the fact that she was a good fifteen minutes early and right now she wouldn't have had it any other way. Dismissing her guards she closed the hatch behind her before releasing a trembling sob that had been building in her chest ever since she walked out of the Admiral's quarters. Walked out on him and Colonel Jacks after what had clearly been an eventful night. She fought the tears that were burning behind her eyes, blinking furiously.

"Fool." She muttered to herself. "What are you getting so worked up over? It's not like he ever showed any interest in you." She angrily whipped at her eyes as her mind immediately produced the one memory that she kept closest to her heart. The feeling of Bill Adama's lips on her own in a kiss so gentle it had very nearly broken her heart. She had been dying that day and too weak to act upon her own feelings.

But since then she had been cured she found herself thinking of that moment, more often than she should, all the while wondering what it meant. Had it been nothing more than a last gesture of kindness from the Admiral of the Fleet towards a dying President? Or did it mean more?

For a very long time she hadn't been willing to admit even to herself that she might have feelings for William Adama. Feelings than went further than simple respect and friendship. And now that she had been confronted with the cold hard fact that he clearly had no interest in her she found herself completely unprepared for the ache that pierced her heart and soul. Even the cancer had never caused her as much pain as the sight of Aurora Jacks standing in his quarters, wearing nothing but one of his tanks.


	3. Chapter 3

**Set after 'the Captain's hand' **

**Chapter 3 – Arguments**

"Madam President?" Laura Roslin's gaze snapped up from the mountain of paperwork on her desk and fixed upon Tory. Her chief aide, normally a confident and steadfast woman, flinched under the President's glare but forged ahead regardless.

"The Admiral has arrived." Laura's eyebrows knitted together in a mixture of puzzlement and annoyance before she remembered she'd asked the Admiral to come over to discuss the replacement of Commander Gardner.

Unfortunately she'd asked him that morning, before the press conference that had become a stage for Baltar's little song and dance. Right now she was still furious over the way the doctor had manipulated both her and the rest of the fleet. Probably not the best state of mind in which to deal with William Adama. Especially not considering what had happened only a few days ago. She was well aware of the fact that she'd been avoiding him, and right now she felt no desire to see him. But the Admiral was also a very busy man, and he'd already shuttled over.

"Send him in." She grumbled, resolving to make the best of a bad situation. After a moment Tory ushered in the Admiral, pointing him to a seat in front of Laura's desk. Laura dismissed her aid with a nod and glanced over her desk at the admiral.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked endeavoring to at least sound friendly, hoping that a friendly start would speed this meeting along smoothly.

"No." He answered. "Thank you." She nodded and decided to get right down to business.

"Who are you putting in charge of the Pegasus?" His answer was equally direct.

"Colonel Jacks." That particular name rolling off his tongue felt like a slap in the face and her response was immediate.

"What?!" The Admiral blinked at her vehemence, then frowned.

"You don't agree." Adama said. Laura had to work hard to get her voice back under control.

"That depends." She finally said, fixing his gaze with her own. "On why you're promoting her."

Something dangerous flashed in his eyes. Something she hadn't seen since he'd thrown her in the brig.

"Are you suggesting…" He hissed in a low voice, leaning forward in his seat. Common sense screamed at her to back away from this particular discussion but at the moment she was too angry to care and she leaned forward, folding her arms in front of her.

"I'm suggesting, Admiral, that the next time you feel like frakking your subordinate you do so behind closed doors. Someone might come to the conclusion that the colonel earned her promotion between the sheets." Abruptly the Admiral was up out of his seat, rising so quickly that the chair nearly toppled over.

"Me frakking Raven has nothing to do with her promotion" He growled out. "She's the best person for the job, period. I wouldn't have promoted Gardner if she hadn't turned me down in the first place. And besides it's a military decision." Laura ground her teeth at hearing that old axiom, it had been a while since she'd heard it, apparently it'd been due again.

"Fine." She snapped. "Go ahead. All I ask is that you lock the door. The last thing I need right now is a scandal." For a few moments the Admiral remained standing, glaring down at her. Laura met his gaze without flinching until he finally spun around and stalked out of her office, brushing past Tory without so much as a glance.

Tory ducked her head into the President's office but quickly withdrew again as she saw the look on Laura Roslin's face.

Laura shoved her chair away from her desk, starting to pace the limited length of her office.

"Idiotic fool." She growled under her breath, thinking the term could probably be applied to all men left in existence if the two most prominent in her professional life were any indication.

But as she paced back and forth, turning briskly on her heels, the anger slowly drained out of her and was replaced with something else. She blinked furiously, refusing to allow the tears burning behind her eyes to fall.

"Damn it." She whispered. "Damn him!" She stopped abruptly and wrapped her arms around her chest. Without warning an image rose up in her mind. Colonel Jacks standing in Bill Adama's quarters. Looking perfectly at ease even though she was practically half naked.

Abruptly Laura shook her head, hoping to cast the image aside, but it was only replaced by another even more painful one. The memory of Bill Adama standing next to the Colonel, with only his trousers on and a towel draped over his chest. It had been the first look she'd got of him bare-chested since the time she'd seen him in the Lifestation, fighting for his life. The angry red gash that had slit apart his pale skin then had healed now, resolving into a broad scar running down his chest.

In spite of everything the sight had sent her heart jumping up into her throat. Still did. But the thought of another woman… even now it put her stomach in knots. Abruptly a realization struck.

"Gods…" She whispered. "I'm jealous."

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Raven knocked but didn't wait for a response as she pushed open the hatch and stepped into the Admiral's quarters. It was late and the lights had been dimmed, both out in the corridor and in here. The only source of light was a reading lamp, standing on the Admiral's desk.

William Adama was hunched over, his jacket hanging over his chair as he went over the stack of daily reports. He only glanced up briefly before turning his attention back to the report he was currently reading.

"Get yourself a drink." He grumbled, penning in his signature at the bottom. "And a seat."

Raven did just that, pouring two drinks and setting one on his desk as she pulled up one of the dinner table chairs.

"What can I do for you, sir?" She asked, acknowledging the fact that in spite of the late hour she'd clearly been summoned to Galactica on official business.

Bill glanced up, then rummaged around on his desk for a moment before retrieving a small velvet black box from under a stack of reports.

"Here." He said, putting the box on the corner of his desk. Raven knew exactly what he was offering her and scowled, refusing to take it.

"We've been through this. I don't want a command."

"I'm not offering." Bill answered. "I'm ordering you to assume command of the Pegasus." Raven looked at him for a long moment, recognizing the low tone of voice and the set expression on his face. The Admiral was deadly serious about this.

"Bill…" She tried, hoping to appeal to him on a more personal level.

"Save it, Raven." He answered, cutting her short. "I've already had more than enough discussion about this decision. Just take the pins and do your job."

Raven realized that there was no way out of this, short of resigning from the service. Sighing heavily she reached over and took the small box, flipping it open. As expected there were two insignia on display, signaling the rank of Commander.

"Fine." She grumbled. "But if I screw up it's on you."

"You couldn't possibly screw up any worse than Gardner already did." Bill answered sourly. "And you'll do fine."

Raven snapped the small box shut and looked up. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The Admiral answered, giving her the first smile she'd seen since entering the room.

"I do have one request though, as Commander of the Pegasus. Two actually." The Admiral arched an eyebrow as he looked up from his paperwork with a faint smile.

"That wasn't long in coming."

"First I'd like to transfer captain Thrace back to Galactica." The Admiral sniffed but nodded. "Second, I'd like to have Major Adama as my XO." Her second request drew another raised eyebrow.

"Lee?" The Admiral asked. "How come?"

"He's bright, dedicated and frankly I don't think he'll be crawling back into a cockpit any time soon." The Admiral regarded her silently for a long moment. "Besides," Raven added "It might do him good to get away from Galactica for a while."

"All right." Bill said after another lengthy silence. "Consider it done." Raven smiled in turn.

"Good." She said, then sat back and studied him for a moment as she sipped her drink. Something was bothering Bill. "What's eating at you?" She finally asked.

"Nothing." The Admiral grumbled, reaching for the glass and downing the liquid in one swallow. Raven only smiled.

"It wouldn't happen to be our beloved President, would it?" She asked. Bill simply glared before he got up and walked over to the coffee table to pour himself another drink.

"There aren't many people you would discuss my promotion with, certainly not before hand. And I honestly don't think Saul would give you much of a discussion, it's not like he was looking to take command of the Pegasus." She watched Bill as he downed a second glass in a single swallow, anger radiating off of him in palpable waves.

"She actually had the nerve to suggest I promoted you because we're sleeping together." Raven smiled into her glass, sipping the amber colored liquid.

"Did she now?" She murmured. "Imagine that."

"What?" Bill asked. Raven looked up at her friend and smiled.

"That must have really hurt, but Billl… I told you so."

"What are you talking about?" The Admiral asked, looking puzzled and angry.

"I told you to explain this to her, you didn't, and now she's come to her own conclusions. Can you really blame her?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Set during and after 'Downloaded' **

**Chapter 4 – Making new friends**

"If the baby does survive the question is what do we do with it?"

"Do?" Baltar asked, his voice rising half an octave. "What are you suggesting? That we throw it out of an airlock?" Roslin glanced up at the scientist and former vice-president with a look of utter disdain on her face.

"I don't make suggestions, Mr Baltar, if I want to toss a baby out an airlock I'd say so."

"Well," Baltar said, stepping back under the hard glare Roslin was giving him. "It is really gratifying to know that infanticide is not on the table."

"Do I have to point out that this is not a baby, its' a machine." Tigh offered in a gruff voice.

"No," Baltar said, flaring up again. "It's half machine, half human. I suggest we all keep that half in mind." Raven didn't look at the doctor as she spoke, had in fact been ignoring the man's existence since first meeting him. Instead she looked over at the Admiral and President sitting at the other end of the table.

"The Cylons went through a great deal of trouble to create this thing. It should go without saying that if it's good for them it's going to be bad for us." After a moment Roslin nodded.

"I completely agree." She said. "And I take it as a given that we can't turn it over to Sharon to raise, that would be disastrous."

"There is still another factor to consider here," Bill offered. "There are cylons aboard this fleet, they find out this thing's been born they are going to make a play for it."

"Madam President." Laura Roslin stopped and turned, finding that Commander Jacks had caught up with her.

"If I may have a word with you in private?" The Commander said, standing at what Laura now recognized to be parade rest. Feet slightly apart, hands clasped behind her back and shoulders straight. For a moment she considered her surroundings then nodded towards the nearest hatch, knowing it led into a small conference room.

"We can talk in there." The Commander nodded and followed her inside while her guards took position at the hatch. Once the hatch was secured Laura turned to the Commander and found her standing with her back turned, hands clasped firmly together.

"All right, Commander, what is it that you wanted to discuss?"

"The hybrid child." Laura blinked for a moment, of all possible conversations she had imaged herself having with this woman this particular subject had not come up.

"What about it?" She asked. The Commander turned and faced her.

"I'm afraid it's going to be a situation that we will have to resolve by yourselves. It would be in everyone's best interest if the Admiral, and of course Doctor Baltar, be kept out of the loop."

Laura frowned, she didn't like where this was going. Keeping Bill out of the loop had landed her in the brig the last time she'd tried it.

"And why is that?"

"Because, in spite of everything he still cares for that… thing he has in the brig. And even if that weren't the case there is lieutenant Agathon to consider."

"I don't think that the Admiral would allow his personal feelings to cloud his judgment."

"He wouldn't." Raven acknowledged. "He'd act in the best interest of the fleet, but Bill has always cared a great deal about those under his command, maybe a little too much at times, and this…"

Raven's voice trailed off as she shrugged ever so slightly. "I just think it's best if you and I settle this matter." She finally said.

For a very long moment neither one of them spoke as Laura Roslin considered the other woman's proposal. She knew what the Commander said was true, she'd seen the concern and love that William Adama extended towards his crew, treating all of them like family. Even the ones that betrayed him.

She'd often worried about his continued interaction with the Cylon, but had never spoken of it. But she would have to acknowledge that the Commander was right. Bill's personal involvement in whatever was decided about the hybrid child might become back to bit them.

"What do you propose?" She said in the end, having made her decision. The Commander smiled briefly then nodded.

"I think we've already agreed that under no circumstance is this child to remain with its… parents. As far as I can see that leaves us with only one option. We'll have to kill the child." In spite of everything Laura's sense of… well humanity bucked at that conclusion but before she could start to argue the Commander raised her hand.

"Sharon will never give up her child willingly, and even if by some miracle she could be talked into doing just that the Cylons in the fleet will never stop looking for it. So we'll have to convince them there is nothing to be found." Abruptly Laura latched on to the Commander's train of thought.

"You mean to fake it."

"Yes. It won't be easy, and it carries risks, risks that wouldn't be there if the child were to die for real…"

"No." Laura said, having made her decision. "No. I'm not willing to go that far." The Commander eyed her for a moment, pursing her lips ever so slightly but then nodded.

"Very well, ma'am. We'll need help, specifically dr. Cottle, and someone willing to take in the child and raise it as their own." Laura nodded.

"I think I can arrange for that." She said, recalling the long lists of women that had volunteered to take on the care of the many orphans of the fleet. "As for Cottle…"

"A bit of strong-arming will probably get the job done." The Commander offered. "After all, you are the Commander in Chief." A slight smile once more appeared on the Commander's lips as she regarded Laura Roslin and against all odds Laura found herself returning that smile.

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In order for this little charade to work perfectly Raven would be the one carrying the child. It made sense, considering the cover story they had cooked up for the poor woman who was going to be saddled with this little bundle of… well what exactly?

Raven hadn't been comfortable with children at the best of times, and she certainly wasn't comfortable with this particular child in her arms, but she managed to hide most of that discomfort as the expectant mother was brought into the president's office. Though she was rather thankful when the young woman almost immediately reached out to take the baby.

"She's so beautiful." The woman said, staring at the small child's face with an immediate affection that rather puzzled Raven. "I don't know how to thank you. When I lost my baby I didn't know how I could go on."

"Well, I'm glad things worked out for you and this little girl." Cottle grumbled, which earned him a sharp look from Raven. A look that he ignored.

"I can't believe that somebody would give up this little angel."

"You understand Maya that this adoption requires absolute secrecy," Tory emphasized. "The mother is a Pegasus officer and must remain anonymous for political and religious reasons."

The new mother was only too eager to agree. "You have my word." At that Roslin stepped forward and stretched out a hand to delicately stroke across the newborn's brow.

"Maya, you won't mind if I drop in occasionally?"

"No, of course not." Maya answered, with only a mildly puzzled expression.

"Good." Roslin answered then smiled. "Go." Maya turned and left, her full attention on the bundle in her arms. Tory followed her to make sure she made it safely to the hangar deck. Cottle lingered though.

"Thank you." Roslin said, looking at the doctor as he rubbed his soar throat. "I know how awful this was for you, but trust me, it was imperative. As far as the Cylons know this child no longer exists. That is a good, good thing." Cottle still didn't look convinced, but he didn't argue either.

"If you'll excuse me, ma'am." He muttered. "I have patients to attend to." Roslin nodded and the doctor took his leave.

Raven waited until she heard the clang of the hatch down the hall before turning to the President.

"Is it wise to visit Maya's child?" She asked. Roslin shrugged.

"Probably not." She admitted. "But that little girl saved my life." Raven frowned but refrained from arguing the point any further.

"Just make sure she doesn't stand out." She grumbled.

"I'll be careful." Roslin promised before returning to her chair and sinking down into it, resting her head against the back and closing her eyes for a moment.

"Long day?" Raven asked, smiling ever so faintly.

"Yes." Roslin murmured then opened her eyes to a slit and glanced over at Raven.

"Can't have been easy for you either." Raven shrugged in turn and settled into the chair in front of Roslin's desk.

"I've had worse." Roslin rose from her chair and turned to a small cabinet, producing two glasses and a bottle filled halfway with an amber colored liquid. Raven smiled slyly.

"Why, madam President, you are full of surprises." Roslin smiled quietly in turn and handed over one of the glasses, filled with two fingers worth of liquid. Raven took a sip and let the liquid burn its way down her throat.

"Ah," She sighed. "The good stuff."

"Being President has it's advantages." Roslin answered.

The bottle stood empty on Roslin's desk as Raven burst out laughing.

"You didn't!" She gasped, coughing the words out between giggles.

"I did." Roslin answered, grinning into her already empty glass. "Told him right to his face that we should start having babies."

"Gods." Raven whispered, wiping the tears of joy from the corner of her eyes. "What I wouldn't have given to see the look on his face." Roslin smiled in turn, her gaze somewhat unfocused.

"He looked so angry, I thought he was going to throw me off his ship, by way of an airlock." Raven snorted.

"He wouldn't do that." She said, still grinning. "Too much of a gentleman, although I remember this one time…"

Laura listened with unexpected pleasure to Raven as she divulged all sorts of succulent details about Willima Adama's past. She knew that Raven had been the Admiral's old wing mate, back in the first war. It probably explained why their connection was so strong, a bond forged while balancing day after day on the sharp and narrow edge between life and death was bound to be profound.

"You know." Raven said, looking more than a little bleary eyed as she turned to the woman sitting next from her. Somewhere in the course of the evening they had relocated to the couch and were now both sitting slumped against the cushions. A second empty bottle lay at their feet.

"He's probably going to throw me in hack for saying this…" Raven's voice trailed off as she seemed to lose her train of thought.

"Hack?" Laura asked, trying to wrestle her brain into some semblance of coherent thought.

"The brig," Raven clarified. "He'd lock me up and throw away the key if he knew I told you."

"Told me what?" Laura asked, now looking at Raven with more than mild interest. Raven grinned in a very secretive manner as she leaned in closer, putting a hand on Laura's knee to steady herself as she put her face so close their noses almost touched. Between the two of them the smell of alcohol must have been overwhelming but since they were both rather drunk neither cared.

"He likes you. Really likes you." Laura blinked then frowned.

"What are you talking about?" She finally managed, her alcohol addled brain suddenly kicking into overdrive.

"Bill." Raven clarified. "He wants you, in all sorts of not very gentleman like ways." A furious blush crept up on Laura's neck and cheeks as several of her more vivid fantasies suddenly sprang to mind.

"But…" She managed, "I thought you and he…" Raven grinned.

"Nah." She said, settling back into the cushions. "It's nothing like that. We're friends, we scratch each other's itch occasionally, but it doesn't mean anything." Laura blinked, trying to process the news. Finally she managed to regain some of her composure.

"And what makes you think I'd care?" Raven only laughed at her.

"Come now, Madam President." She slurred. "I saw the look on your face when you walked in on us. You looked like I'd shot you in the stomach."


	5. Chapter 5

**The following morning...**

**Chapter 5 - Alliances**

Raven awoke to the sound of someone trying to drill through the hull right next to her head. She blinked, then groaned and started to roll over in her bed, only to wind up on the floor with a jarring thud. Swearing under her breath she sat up and looked around, wondering how the hell she'd wound up in the President's office. Slowly the memory resurfaced from among the continuous pounding that clouded her brain.

"Gods." Raven whispered, dropping her head into her hands. She swallowed a few times, trying to clear the tickle of nausea at the back of her throat. It had been a while since she'd gotten quite this drunk and now she was remembering why she usually refrained from indulging herself quite so much.

"Good morning."

Raven looked up at the rather bland greeting coming from the doorway leading to the President's personal quarters. Laura Roslin stood leaning against the doorframe, looking about as bad as Raven felt.

"You fell?" Raven nodded and immediately regretted it.

"I have some painkillers." Laura offered.

"That'd be nice." Raven grumbled, refusing to lift her head out of her hands. A few minutes later Laura

sat down next to her on the floor and offered her a glass of water and a couple of white tablets. Raven took them with a murmured 'thanks' and swallowed them down.

"Next time, Madam President," She said, closing her eyes for a moment. "When we have a girl's night in, let's not polish off two bottles."

"You'll hear no argument from me." The two women shared a strained smile before Raven reached up behind her and used the chair she'd slept in to work herself into a standing position.

"I'd better get back to Pegasus."

"Call a raptor over." Roslin said as she got up off the floor, using her desk for support. "You're in no condition to fly one yourself." Raven tried to glare, but couldn't quite manage it properly between her pounding headache and the wave of nausea that hit her.

"I'll have you know, Madam President, that I happen to be a very good pilot."

"Maybe." Laura answered, "But not right now, you can barely stand up straight." Unfortunately the President had a point.

"Fine." Raven grumbled and made her way over to the desk.

"A raptor will be here in fifteen." She said.

"Good." Laura answered. "Now how about some coffee?"

"You mean you still have some?" Raven asked with surprise.

"I'm not really sure. Tory says it's close enough and I've learned not to ask too many questions." Raven gave the President a dubious look but then shrugged.

"Might as well live a little." Laura snorted softly in response. "I think we've done enough of that last night." She said.

The spent the next fifteen minutes in almost complete silence. It was a very comfortable silence though. Both sat sipping their coffee, or rather what passed for coffee these days and all things considering it wasn't half bad. With the painkillers starting to kick in the insistent pounding was slowly beginning to wind down to an annoying throb.

Raven felt marginally better by the time Tory announced the arrival of a Raptor from Pegasus.

"Thank you for the coffee, Madam President." She said. The President was sitting behind her desk, still wearing her bathrobe but already flipping through a stack of reports.

"You're welcome, Commander." She said, taking a moment to look up from her work and offered a slight but genuine smile. Raven did the same before snapping off a salute and taking her leave.

"Commander, I have the President on the line for you." Raven glanced up at the dradis monitors overhead. She already knew everything was quiet but wanted to check anyway so she could give Laura Roslin her full attention. Having made sure that all was well with her ship as well as the fleet, she nodded to her communications officer.

"Madam President." She said.

"_Commander, if I might have a moment of your time?" _

"Of course, ma'am." She offered.

For a moment there was no response on the other end of the line and Raven glanced over at her communications officer, wondering if the call had been dropped. Then Roslin spoke.

"_Is this line secure?"_ Raven raised her hand to the com officer, indicating for him to flip the switch.

"It is now, ma'am."

"_Good."_ Roslin murmured in response. _"I wanted to talk to you about…what you said earlier… about Bill."_

Raven smiled slightly, she'd been wondering when this was going to come up. Roslin hadn't mentioned anything over the past few days but there had certainly been a new tension to the bi-weekly military briefings. Something to which Bill had been perfectly oblivious. He was probably still under the impression that Roslin was angry with him over promoting her to command the Pegasus.

It had taken nearly all of Raven's self-control not to laugh at the two of them, or shout with frustration.

The looks that would pass between them when the other wasn't looking, the hints of emotion crackling through layers of armor when they thought no one else would see. To the informed observer it was both hilarious and exceptionally frustrating to behold.

"Yes, ma'am." She said coming back to the present. "How can I help?"

"_I'm not sure. But I think I don't want to discuss this over the wireless. Could you come to Colonial One?"_ Raven considered for a moment, contemplating her schedule.

"I have a meeting with my CAG at nineteen hundred hours, I shouldn't be more than an hour."

"_All right." _Roslin answered, sounding slightly off balance. _"I'll see you then."_

"Till then." Raven acknowledge before putting down the horn.

"What was that all about?" Lee asked from across the table. Raven made sure to keep from smiling as she looked up at the younger man.

"Business," She answered smoothly. "The Presidents wants me to clarify a few reports for her personally. So I'll be going over to Colonial One later this evening."

"Madam President." Laura Roslin looked up from her endless paperwork to find Tory sticking her head in through the curtain.

"The Commander has arrived."

"Send her in." Laura answered, shutting the file she'd been reading. A moment later Commander Jacks entered her office and came to attention in front of her desk.

"Commander," She said, smiling ever so faintly and gesturing for the woman to stand at ease.

"Madam President." The Commander answered in turn.

"Please, take a seat." Laura said, pointing the Commander towards one of the more comfortable chairs in front of her desk. "Would you like something to drink?"

"As long as it doesn't contain too much alcohol." The Commander said. Laura winched ever so slightly at the memory of their last late night meeting. Although they'd certainly had fun the hangover the following morning had been excruciating. She got up and told Tory to get two cups of what passed for coffee aboard Colonial one. As she turned back she found the Commander grinning at her.

"I'd almost prefer the alcohol to your coffee, ma'am."

Tory had been excused for the night and the President had taken a seat next to the Commander, allowing their conversation to be conducted at a near whisper.

"So," Laura finally said, running her hands over her mug nervously. "You were serious." There was no question in her voice, she was merely stating a fact.

"Yes ma'am." Raven answered with absolute certainty in her voice and a slight smile. "I was. The question now is, what do you plan to do about it?"

"Me?" Laura asked, rather startled. "Why would I have to do anything?"

"Well, you don't _have_ to do anything. You two are certainly doing fine ignoring this thing." Laura glared at the Commander for the mild sarcasm with which she had delivered the last line. The Commander ignored her though.

"I my humble opinion, Madam President, it would do the both of you a world of good if you'd just…" Raven smiled slightly, with more than a little mischief tinkling in her eyes as she left her voice to trail off in a very suggestive manner. Laura already felt a blush creeping up on her as the Commander's words prompted a whole slew of rather unsettling images to pop up into her head.

"Acknowledged this." Raven finally finished.

"Gods." Laura whispered, burying her face in her hand. "I can't believe I'm even contemplating this." She looked up as she felt the warmth of another hand on her shoulder and found the Commander smiling warmly at her.

"It's all right, you know, to take something for yourself." For a moment Laura only frowned, wondering what exactly the Commander meant.

"I won't suggest I know what it's been like for you, but I can certainly sympathize." The Commander's smile faded as her gaze lost focus.

"It's not always easy to be a woman in the Colonial Fleet." She finally said. Laura frowned, wondering what lay hidden behind those grey eyes but she didn't ask. The Commander had a right to her privacy.

"Why are you doing this?" Laura finally asked, straightening up. "Wouldn't you rather…?" The Commander smiled again, another spark of mischief in her eyes.

"Keep him all to myself?" She finished. Laura nodded.

"Certainly." Raven answered, but then her smile faded and she became serious. "But before anything else he's my friend and I want him to be happy."

"Isn't he…?" Laura started but never finished. Raven smiled faintly.

"No, I can make him comfortable, I can put him at ease. But I can't make him happy." The Commander's smile quirked ever so slightly but as Laura watched closely she thought she saw something more hidden away behind those grey eyes. Something the Commander wasn't saying.

"Not like you could." Raven said then grinned. "Don't misunderstand me though, he's not an easy man to love. And there are going to be days when you'll want to put him out the airlock for being the stubborn, pigheaded fool he can be." Her grin faded again, leaving only the faintest hint of a smile as her gaze grew distant. "But he'll make it worth your while."

Laura sat looking at the Commander for a long moment then shook her head and got up, starting to pace the length of her office, which wasn't a long walk to begin with.

"I don't know." She finally said. "The consequences…"

"Madam President, with all due respect, we can deal with the consequences, if they arise."

"Oh, there will be consequences." Laura said, but even as she said it she knew she'd already decided and the Commander knew it too, if her smile was any indication.

"Of course, ma'am." The Commander said, smiling. She knew all right. "Now, let's get down to business."

"All right." She said. "And Commander?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Wouldn't you agree, especially considering the current subject matter, to call me Laura?" Raven arched an eyebrow but then smiled.

"Very well… Laura. On one condition, you call me Raven." Laura smiled.

"Not Aurora?" Laura asked. The Commander growled.

"Please don't." She said. "I've never forgiven my parents for saddling me with that."

"Raven it is." Laura said, smiling.

"Sir." Gaeta said, moving up alongside the Admiral. "The President and Commander Jacks have arrived. They're waiting for you up in the core."

"Thank you, Mr. Gaeta." The Admiral answered, not looking up from the stack of rapports he was trying to get through. A moment of silence passed until Tigh abruptly spoke up.

"Will you look at that."

"What?" Adama asked, keeping his gaze on the last of the fuel rapports in front of him.

"When did the two of them become so cozy?" Tigh asked. The oddness of Tigh's remark finally drew the Admiral's attention and he looked up.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"Have a look for yourself." The XO said. The Admiral glanced over his shoulder, following Tigh's gaze. He found the Commander and President standing together up in the core. Standing quite close as a matter of fact. Their shoulders were almost touching, their heads bent towards one another as they shared a whispered conversation. Whatever they were discussing was apparently very amusing because at one point in time Laura Roslin actually laughed out loud. That drew the attention of several of the crew to the two women.

"What could they possibly be talking about?" Tigh asked. "Food rations aren't that funny."

"I don't know." Bill answered darkly, suddenly a little worried. He had no idea what he should be worried about but he couldn't shake the feeling he was somehow in trouble. A feeling that only intensified as both women noticed him looking and turned their attention to him.

Raven gave him a respectful nod and Laura raised her hand in a small wave. Both of them were still smiling. Bill didn't answer either gesture and continued to frown.

"I don't like this." Tigh grumbled from across the plotting table.

_- Neither do I –_ Bill thought, looking at both women.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 – Misconceptions**

"Will you keep still already?" Raven said, giving her a scalding look.

"Sorry." Laura said, folding her hands together to keep from fidgeting.

"Next time I'm kicking you in the shins." Raven grumbled. Laura smiled faintly, unable to keep some of her nerves from showing in that smile.

"Are you sure about this, Raven?" She asked. Raven released a frustrated sigh as she leaned forward in her chair, putting her arms on the table top.

"Madam President." She said, hardening her voice. "This display of insecurity does not become you - at all. I'm sure, so drop it already will you?" Raven's expressions softened somewhat at the end and she reached over, patting a hand on Laura's arm.

"It'll work out, trust me."

"There's a lot at stake here, Raven." Laura said as she leaned across the table in turn, bringing her voice down to a low whisper. "And I'm not just talking about my position with the rest of the fleet."

Before Raven could answer the door to the small meeting room opened and Admiral Adama stepped inside, followed closely by Colonel Tigh. Both men stopped as their gaze fell upon the women.

Bill blinked at what he saw before him. Both Raven and the President had already seated themselves, side by side, but the reports in front of them had been left untouched. Instead the two women were leaning close together, and Raven's hand was on Laura Roslin's arm. It might have been nothing more than a friendly, courteous gesture form the Pegasus' Commander to the President of the Colonies, but somehow he felt it meant more.

The President was the first to react as she withdrew herself into a more formal posture, pulling her arm away from Raven's hand.

"Admiral," She said, nodding. "Colonel. Please have a seat." She gestured towards two seats at the other side of the table. Clearly she had no intention of explaining what he had just witnessed.

The Admiral glanced over at Raven, the Commander had withdrawn her hand and settled back into her chair, but with far less formality. If anything Raven seemed almost nonchalant, with just the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. He recognized that smile, and it had never bode well for him in the past.

For some reason he still couldn't quite fathom the scene he had witnessed in the CIC between these two woman had put him on edge. And walking in on this did nothing to ease his concerns. Seeing Raven smiling like that only served to disturb him further.

"Is that any way to greet your commanding officer, Commander?" He snapped, glaring at her. Raven lifted an eyebrow at him, as much for his tone as his question but offered no protest as she got up out of her chair and saluted him crisply.

"Sir!" She barked, remaining at attention while he continued to glare at her. He was already feeling foolish for having snapped at her. He didn't like feeling foolish and was sorely tempted to chew her out something fierce, if only to feel a little better himself for being able to vent some of his frustration.

"At ease." He finally grumbled and took a seat. Raven settled down as well and damn if that smile hadn't crept back up onto her face. To add insult to injury Roslin was looking at him rather oddly as well. One eyebrow cocked and her head slightly tilted she seemed to be studying him for a moment. Uneasy under her scrutiny he pulled the stack of reports towards him and opened the first one.

"Let's get started." He said, fully expecting everyone to follow his order. Both Tigh and Raven did, but Roslin took her time, ignoring the report in front of her in favor of a prolonged study of his face. In the end he forced himself to look up and meet her gaze.

"Madam President?" He asked, gesturing towards the stack of reports in front of her as well. For another moment Roslin didn't move, but rather pursed her lips slightly - the way she did sometimes when she was contemplating a particularly hairy dilemma. Wondering what she could possibly be thinking he frowned and considered asking her if anything was the matter. But before he could do just that she seemed to come to a decision because she nodded to herself and then turned her attention to the stack of reports.

This particular meeting was the most uncomfortable he'd had in quite a while, and he had had certainly had his share of uncomfortable meetings in the past. Although business was dealt with relatively smoothly there was a distinct undercurrent in the room. Something was going on between Raven and the President. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on and it was bothering him.

When the meeting came to a close Raven got up as he rose and offered another crisp salute. Undoubtedly she only did it to spite him, since the only other occasion upon which she had saluted him of her own free will had been when Cain had been watching.

"At ease, Commander." He grumbled, shooting her a look that clearly said 'cut it out', even though he knew full well that he owed her an apology. Raven ignored the look and relaxed into parade rest as she turned to the President, who was just gathering her things.

"Ma'am, would you mind dropping me off at Pegasus on your way to Cloud Nine?" The President looked up and offered Raven an easy smile.

"Not at all, Commander, I still have some time and it would be my pleasure." The Admiral looked up and frowned.

"You're not taking your raptor back?" He asked Raven.

"I didn't come by Raptor, sir. I hitched a ride with Miss Roslin."

"Hitched a ride?" The Admiral asked, his frown deepening. "How come?"

"I asked the Commander to come over to Colonial One early this morning." Roslin answered. "I wanted to go over some issues together before coming here."

The Admiral frowned at both women, wondering what the hell was going on. Just a few weeks ago Raven had voiced her reservations about the former secretary of education being President of the colonies and now the two of them were having early morning meetings without his knowledge? When did that happen?

"What the frak was that all about?" Tigh asked as soon as the two women had departed from the conference room.

"I haven't a clue." The Admiral grumbled in turn as he gathered his papers and started towards the door. "But I'm going to find out." He added under his breath as he pushed the door open and stepped out into the corridor.

"Dad." The Admiral looked up to finds his son sticking his head around the hatch.

"Lee?" He asked, not expecting him. "What are you doing here?" Lee stepped inside and held up a slim folder.

"Pegasus' status report." The Admiral scowled.

"And why is Commander Jacks not delivering it in person?" _As I specifically asked her to?_ He added silently. Lee looked up at the cold tone in his father's voice.

"She was indisposed." He offered. "The President stopped by." Abruptly the Admiral's gaze darkened even further, something that went unnoticed by Lee as he settled down in a chair across from the Admiral's desk. The Admiral sat down as well, glaring at the paperwork in front of him.

"Go ahead, Major." He grumbled, picking up his pen and continuing with his own reports, listing to Lee with only half an ear. Ordinarily a status report could easily be delivered over the wireless, the only reason he had asked Raven to deliver this one in person was because he had wanted to talk to her.

Lee finished and shut the folder, dropping it on his desk, which was already groaning under the weight of too much paperwork. When he remained seated though the Admiral looked up.

"Something on your mind?" He asked as he noted his son's absent frown. The younger man looked up and started to shake his head but then thought better of it.

"You know Commander Jacks very well, don't you?"

"I do." The Admiral answered, wondering where this was going.

"I don't mean to… pry." Lee started, lowering his gaze to his hands, which were wringing together in his lap. The Admiral frowned, he hadn't seen Lee this uncomfortable since he'd sat him down for the talk about the birds and the bees.

"The Commander…" Lee started. "Is she….? Does she…?"

"Spit it out, Major."

"Take to women?"

The Admiral blinked for a moment. "Take to…?" He started then stopped. "What the hell are you talking about, Lee?" Lee looked like he wished he hadn't said anything at all but one look at his father's face informed him that skipping out now was not an option.

"It's just that the Commander seems more… interested in women, sir. Personally I mean."

It slowly dawned on the Admiral what his son was talking about. If Lee had brought this up only a few days ago he would have burst out into laughter. Today however the very first thing that flashed through his mind was the image of Raven and Laura sitting at the conference table, leaning close together, Raven's hand on Laura's arm.

"What makes you say that, son?" He asked, taking great care to keep his tone neutral. Lee shrugged, looking even more uncomfortable than before.

"Nothing specific really." He answered. But Lee wasn't much of a liar and the Admiral clearly saw through this one.

"Lee." He growled. "What did you see?" Lee kept his eyes on his hands and spoke up after a long silence.

"When I went to pick up the status report the Commander and President were…"

The Admiral's teeth ground together. He had known the moment that Lee brought up the subject that there could be only one other woman involved but to hear his suspicions confirmed somehow made it worse.

"… close." Lee finished, clearly struggling to find the words.

"Doing what exactly?" The Admiral asked, mercilessly pushing both himself and his son. He simply had to know. Lee shot him a pleading look, but the Admiral countered with a look of pure steel.

"They were sitting on the floor, in front of the couch." Lee hesitated for another moment and swallowed. "No jackets. And they were sort of… leaning into one another. You know like they were about to… " He gestured helplessly.

Unable to stop his brain from forming the image his son was describing the Admiral cringed inwardly even as an unexpected anger settled into the pit of his stomach. His imagination immediately took the image further towards the conclusion that Lee was hinting at. A kiss, perhaps even more.

"They pulled apart when they saw me." Lee continued in an embarrassed voice. "I took the report and got out of there."

He had dismissed Lee without an answer to his question. He didn't have one himself. Less than a week ago he would have been certain that Lee's suggestion was absolutely ridiculous but now he couldn't get the idea out of his head. Unwillingly his mind raced passed the various moments during which he had been in a position to observe both Raven and the President. Looking for clues, looking for the moment in which it all changed.

Oddly enough he couldn't seem to find one moment in particular. He knew for certain that at the start neither woman had been particularly taken with the other, on a professional level at least. But personally? Had there always been something there and had he simply been blind to it, too engrossed in his own feelings to notice? He wasn't sure.

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Raven blinked at the oddly persistent buzzing near her ear then groaned and rolled over, reaching for the phone.

"Yes." She snarled, vowing to herself to find a suitable punishment for the foolish crew member that thought it a good idea to disturb the Commander at 0500 in the morning.

"Commander." A familiar voice growled in her ear, sounding anything but sleepy. Abruptly she sat up, responding instinctively to the cold tone in his voice.

"Admiral…" She'd been about to ask if something was wrong but never got the chance.

"Report to Galactica, ASAP." Before she could even begin to respond she was listening to the dial tone. She frowned at the horn before putting it back in its cradle.

Twenty minutes later she was sitting in a raptor, heading for Galactica. She'd skipped breakfast and left word of her whereabouts with the night watch.

The raptor jarred slightly as it settled on the hangar deck but she'd been up out of her seat before it came to a full halt. Before the deckhands had the chance to secure the raptor she was out and on her way to the CIC.

She was surprised to find Tigh on duty in the CIC. With no sign of the Admiral anywhere.

"He's waiting for you in his quarters." Tigh said, as soon as she stepped into the pit. For a brief moment she lingered.

"What's going on?" She asked, hoping that Tigh might give her some clue as to why she'd been summoned to Galactica at the crack of dawn. But Tigh only shrugged.

"I'd get going if I were you." He added. "He's in a foul mood already." Raven nodded and made her way to the Admiral's quarters, she found the door slightly ajar. Normally she found it a very welcome gesture but it didn't seem all that welcome today.

She stepped inside, her gaze adjusting to the gloom in his quarters, the result of only a single reading light on his desk shedding any light into the darkness. She found him sitting behind his desk, his glasses perched on the tip of his nose. She made her way over to his desk and offered a crisp salute.

"Reporting as ordered, sir." He looked up, glaring at her over the rim of his glasses. A long silence followed in which she wondered what she possibly could have done to piss him off so much. Sure she'd sent Lee to deliver the report, even though she'd known he wanted to speak with her, but if that had bothered him this much he would have called her last night. He wouldn't have waited until five in the morning. And he wouldn't have looked like he hadn't slept all night.

"What the frak do you think you're doing?" He finally growled. At any other time she might have countered such a remark with a sharp, witty one of her own, but the cold fury in his blue eyes made her keep her mouth shut now.

Abruptly it all came together and she almost laughed out load. She didn't, knowing it wouldn't go down well with the Admiral in his current state of mind. So she opened her mouth to tell him exactly how wrong he was.

"Bill…" She started and then stopped as a realization struck her. For a brief moment she thought it over and as a plan formed she wasn't able to keep a slight smile from curving her lips. She hid it quickly and stepped forward.

"And what if I am?" She asked. "What are you going to do about it?" She carefully watched him, seeing the hurt and anger flare in his eyes. She knew then that in spite of his accusations he hadn't been sure. He didn't even blink though as he snapped his response.

"You will break it off, this instant."

"Is that an order? Because maybe I'm not in the same fleet you're in but in my fleet no Admiral has any business whatsoever interfering with my personal life."

"You are frakking the President!" He growled between clenched teeth.

"It's not the first time I'm frakking a superior officer and I've never heard you complaining about it before. So what's your problem?"

"This is completely inappropriate behavior, and if you don't come to your senses I'm bringing you up on charges of conduct unbecoming of an officer."

She laughed at that. "No, you won't." She said once her mirth had died away a little. "Because you can't charge me without telling everyone. And you are not going to compromise her position like that."

For a moment there was only silence between them. A silence in which she watched her friend and pitied him. She could see the emotion surging just beneath the surface, a storm of feelings that was only barely kept in check by an iron self-control. She wished there was a way to do this without hurting him, but he could be an extremely stubborn man when he felt like it and right now she couldn't see any other way. Preparing to drive home the last nail she stepped forward.

"Just because you're too much of a coward to act upon your feelings, doesn't mean that I am." She saw him stiffen at her words but left him no time to come up with a suitable answer.

"If that is all, sir. I'll be leaving." He didn't stop her as she turned and strode out of his quarters, starting back towards the hangar deck.

She knew full well that she'd hurt his feelings today. But in her honest opinion the man had it coming. He certainly wasn't doing himself or Laura any favors by holding back the way he had. And if it took a little prodding on her part to get him to admit to what he felt then so be it. She'd be damned if she'd let that stubborn man live out the rest of his life without seeing him and Laura get together.

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"You'll never guess what happened to me today." Raven tucked one of her legs underneath her and carefully sipped her makeshift coffee. She glanced across the small room that served as the presidential office to Laura Roslin, who was behind her desk, finishing up the last of an enormous stack of paperwork.

"What?" The president asked, without looking up.

"Bill threatened to bring me up on charges of conduct unbecoming."

"What?!" Laura barked, her head snapping up as she stared at Raven. Raven only smiled.

"Relax, he's bluffing."

"Bluffing?" Laura asked, "Why the hell would he want to bring you up on charges in the first place?"

"Because… He's got this insane notion in his head that you and are involved."

"Involved…" Laura repeated in a stunned voice, until it dawned on her and she groaned.

"Oh Gods, Lee."

"My thoughts exactly." Raven answered, "The Major read a little too much in what he saw and then went and told his father."

"This is a disaster." Laura groaned as she rested her head in her hands.

"Actually." Raven said. "I think it's perfect."

"Perfect?" Laura asked, incredulous.

"Yes," Raven answered, grinning. "Perfect. We can kill two birds with one stone."

"What are you talking about?" Laura asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the sight of the mischievous grin on Raven's face.

"You have to know Bill. He doesn't love lightly and when he does he has a tendency to become very protective, even a little possessive. In short, he gets jealous. And right now he's jealous of me because of the relationship he thinks I have with you. If we were to push him a little, rub it in so to speak, he might be compelled to do something."

"Do what?" Laura asked after a moment. Raven shrugged slightly, still grinning.

"Best case scenario, he comes out and tells you exactly how he feels. Worst case scenario, he'll court marshal me. Either way he's going to show his true colors."

"I don't want to get you in trouble."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be having the time of my life." Laura believed it too as she watched the Commander, who hadn't stopped grinning since proposing this ridiculous idea. An idea she actually found herself contemplating.

"You said two birds."

"Ah yes, this little charade we'll be putting on will be the perfect way to proof to him that a senior military officer can have a personal relationship with the President of the twelve colonies without the universe coming to a crashing halt."

For a long moment Laura sat back in her chair, contemplating this insane suggestion.

"All right." She finally said. "How do we go about it?"

Raven's grin broadened even further as she got up and made her way over to the desk.

"I have a few ideas." She said, as she leaned her hip against the edge of the desk.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 - More misconceptions and a resolution**

Laura was hovering somewhere between dread and anticipation with regards to the upcoming meeting. It had been three days since she'd been on board Galatica and three days since she'd seen Bill Adama. But she'd heard more than enough about him in those three days. Raven made a point of keeping her filled in on even the most mundane details, something she greatly appreciated even if she thought it a little foolish of herself. To know about the intimate little details of his day, even if he wasn't the one revealing them, made her feel closer to him.

The past few days though Raven had mostly reported on the Admiral's state of mind, which seemed to be absolutely deplorable. Apparently the Admiral had been biting off heads left and right. Up to the point where even Lee made himself scarce when the Admiral was around. The only ones with the nerve to go anywhere near the Admiral of their own violation were Raven, Saul and Kara.

Raven would tell Laura all about those meetings afterwards, either when she visited Colonial One at the end of the day, or when Laura shuttled over to the Pegasus. Tonight, with a military briefing scheduled for the following morning, Raven had shuttled over to Colonial One to prepare.

"I thought Bill was going to need more goading than this." Raven said, smiling into a glass of water. "But I think his imagination is doing all our work for us."

"Gods." Laura groaned. "Don't say things like that, it makes me wonder what he's coming up with."

Raven smirked. "That's not difficult to image. He's a red blooded man, they tend to have a one track mind when it comes to this sort of thing. And the best part is that it's sure to get him all hot and bothered"

"Raven!" Laura exclaimed.

"What?" Raven answered as she tried to look innocent, an attempt that was foiled by her mischievous grin. Even though Laura shook her head in disbelieve she couldn't help but feel herself smile in turn.

"Why I ever agreed to this idiotic plan is beyond me." She grumbled. Raven didn't even bother to answer that, they both knew the answer already. Laura had agreed because she was willing to go to great lengths to get what she wanted. And right now she wanted Admiral William Adama.

"So, how about tomorrow's meeting." Raven said, setting aside her glass. "You prepared?"

"As I'll ever be." Laura answered in turn, suppressing the urge to giggle as her nerves once again asserted themselves.

"Good." Raven said. "Don't worry, I'll do all the work, just follow my lead and everything will be fine."

"I sure hope you know what you're doing." Laura answered, which brought another grin to Raven's mouth.

"I do." She answered, supremely confident. "Now, where do you keep the spare blankets around here?" Laura got up and walked over to one of the lockers, retrieving a blanket and pillow which she handed over to Raven. The Commander proceeded to make herself comfortable in one of the reclining chairs, settling in for the night.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Laura asked. "I could still have a field bed brought up from the hangar."

"Ma'am, I've slept in a viper cockpit at times. Trust me, I'm more than okay spending the night right here in your office. Besides if you had a field bed brought up, it would more or less spoil our little charade wouldn't it? Seeing as how the point is to make the Admiral think we've got down to business."

Laura was grateful for the dimmed lighting as a blush crept up on her cheeks. "He wouldn't find out." She countered, grateful that at least her voice was steady.

"Oh yes he would." Raven answered. "I wouldn't be surprised if he knows everything that happens aboard this ship." That deepened the blush on Laura's face further, but only part of it was embarrassment.

"What are you saying? Has he been spying on me?" Raven looked up from her seat and eyed Laura thoughtfully for a moment.

"Spying is not the word I'd use." She finally said. "I've told you already, Bill tends to get a little… protective of the people he holds dear."

Something of Laura's anger drained away, but not all of it. Raven must have noticed because for once she became serious.

"It's something you'd better get used to, Laura." She said. "It'll only get worse."

"We'll see." Laura said an edge of steel to her voice. Raven couldn't help but smile a little, knowing that the two of them together would certainly provided for some interesting fireworks.

"Goodnight, madam President." Raven said, still smiling.

"Goodnight Raven." Laura answered, with genuine warmth to her voice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ready?" Raven asked as the shuttle settled onto Galatica's hangar deck with a shudder. Laura Roslin took a deep breath to steady her nerves and nodded. Raven gave her a last warm and reassuring smile before she got up.

"Let's do it then." She muttered, more to herself than to Laura. She got up and went to the door, Laura quickly joined her there and was glad she had when she noticed that they'd been expected.

The Admiral himself stood on the hangar deck, clearly waiting for them. Abruptly Laura became aware of the gentle pressure of Raven's hand in the small of her back as the Commander stepped forward, ushering her forward as well. Raven left her hand for only a second and barely touched her but Laura saw that even that slight gesture brought a reaction from the Admiral. He'd already been frowning, but now his gaze darkened as his eyes darted over the both of them.

Raven stepped onto the deck, dropping her hand away from Laura's back, and saluted him.

"Permission to come aboard, sir?"

"Granted." The Admiral grumbled between clenched teeth as he looked over the Commander once more. Laura had offered Raven the use of her bathroom and facilities but the Commander had purposely refused. Explaining that she wanted to look just a little disheveled. She meant to make a point of the fact that she clearly hadn't slept in her own bed.

"Admiral." Laura said, nodding to him. He glanced over at her, his gaze sweeping from her head to her toes and back in a fraction of a second. The pure intensity of his gaze left her skin tingling and made her breath hitch ever so slightly.

Contrary to the Commander Laura had made sure she looked absolutely impeccable. Something upon which Raven had insisted.

"Ladies." The Admiral grumbled, extending his arm to indicate that they should go first. Raven smiled and reached out to gently take Laura's elbow in her hand, guiding her off the hangar deck. In spite of the fact that by now Laura knew her way around perfectly well. Through it all though Laura was distinctly aware of the Admiral, who fell into step only a pace behind. She could practically feel his gaze burning a hole in her jacket.

Raven dropped her hand again once they reached the corridors but she continued to walk quite close, and on occasion their shoulders would rub together.

For about a week now the entire crew on board Galatica had been walking on egg shells around their senior officer. Seasoned officers that had faced down Cylons in battle shook with trepidation whenever they were required to go anywhere near the Old Man. Less courageous crewmembers ducked down whatever side passage was available to them whenever they saw the Admiral coming down the corridor. Which had resulted in more than one crewmember holding his or her breath while hiding out in a cupboard.

The Admiral was too lost in thought to notice the oddly silent corridors around him as he made his way from the conference room to the CIC. He wasn't in any particular hurry to get there, even though he had been summoned due to an emergency. He had asked Tigh to set it up in order to get out of his scheduled meeting and although he had felt slightly foolish the moment he asked his old friend he was only relieved now.

The meeting had been an absolute disaster, even worse than he had expected. Apparently now that their secret was out neither Raven nor Laura felt there was any further need to hide their affair from him. He had noticed the small touches between the two women the moment they stepped aboard his ship, but once they were behind closed doors it got worse. There had been blatant flirting between the two women and more than a few not so subtle hints had been dropped in his direction. It was making his blood boil and he was glad Tigh had called before he lost control of his temper.

"Sitrep!" Even the XO stiffened at the Admiral's growl and a deadly silence fell across the CIC. Those crewmembers who weren't absolutely necessary for the smooth operation of the Battlestar glanced around to locate the nearest exit and slowly started to make their way towards it. Those who couldn't leave their station hunched over in their seats, hoping to provide a smaller target for the Admiral's anger.

"The fleet's calm, sir." Tigh answered, turning to his friend. "Same can't be said for you." He added in a lower voice. The Admiral growled in turn, his hands clenched to fists as he rested them on the plotting table.

"I take it things aren't going well?" Tigh inquired.

"What makes you say that?"

"The fact that I haven't seen you this mad since Roslin sent Starbuck back to Caprica for that damned arrow."

The Admiral didn't respond, glaring up at the Dradis monitors.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the Commander now would it?" Tigh blinked as the Admiral gave him a glare that would have left even the bravest men quaking in their boots.

"What did you hear?" The Admiral growled.

"Nothing." Tigh was quick to state. "But Raven seems to be giving you the cold shoulder of late."

The Admiral returned his attention to the Dradis monitors, realizing that Saul knew only half of the story. Saul in turn gave his friend an odd look. Something had definitely been off about William Adama these past few days and suddenly Saul wasn't so sure it was quite as simple as he had originally thought.

He had known about Raven, it was rather hard to miss after being William's friend for as long as he had been. But he'd always thought it was a casual thing, not something Bill would get too worked up over if it somehow didn't work out.

"Is there something else I should know about?" Tigh asked quietly, leaning closer.

"No." Bill growled. Tigh knew there was more, but he also knew that it would be a particularly bad idea to try and prod it out of an already angry Admiral.

"All right." Tigh murmured and backed away a step before venturing ahead with his next remark.

"Shouldn't you be getting back to the briefing?" Another scalding glare followed.

"You're finishing for me." The Admiral snapped. Tigh opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it after another look at the Admiral's face.

"Yes, sir!" He answered in stead and snapped off a salute before starting for the conference room. As soon as he left the CIC he shook his head.

"Nice going, Saul." He muttered to himself.

--------------------------------

"He looked angry." Roslin said as soon as the Admiral left.

"Oh, don't kid yourself." Raven said, smirking happily. "He's furious." Laura wasn't too sure if she could revel as much in that fact as Raven obviously did.

She was very well aware of the fact that William Adama was indeed furious with the both of them, she had practically felt his anger radiate off of his skin and break against her own in wave upon crashing wave. It had sent shivers of both trepidation and anticipation down her spine. Truth be told the intensity of the Admiral's feelings frightened her a bit.

Part of her worried that they were pushing him too far, that they wouldn't be able to come back from this little plan of theirs. But another, slightly larger part of her wondered if he would bring the same intensity of feeling to their relationship.

"What now?" Laura asked, glancing sideways to Raven. The Commander shrugged slightly.

"We wait, he'll be back. This so called emergency won't keep him long."

Both women sat quietly together, flipping through the stack of reports until the door opened. They looked up only to find Colonel Tigh stepping over the threshold.

"Colonel Tigh." Laura said, trying to hide her disappointment. "Where is the Admiral?"

"In CIC." Saul answered gruffly. "He's busy, so I'm taking over." Laura and Raven glanced at one another for a moment.

"Frakking coward." Raven muttered before she leaned forward. "With all due respect, Madam President, but this calls for more drastic measures."

"Drastic measures?" Tigh asked, giving the two women a suspicious look. "What are the two of you up to?" Raven smiled in a way that made both Laura and Saul nervous.

"Raven," Laura said, "Maybe we should just…"

"Oh, no, ma'am." Raven said, putting her hand on Laura's arm. "Trust me on this, we need to strike while the iron's hot, and that means enlisting a new recruit."

"Commander," Tigh growled. "If this has anything to with why the Admiral is in such a foul mood…"

"Of course it does." Raven said, smiling. "And if you breath a word of this to anyone - especially your wife - I'll make sure you never see another drop of alcohol in your life."

"Hey," Tigh said, "No need to get nasty."

The mood in CIC was down right depressing as Tigh returned twenty minutes later. Not a single crewmember was talking, unless it was absolutely necessary and even then all conversation was conducted in the softest voice possible. Careful glances were directed towards the Admiral, who stood down in the pit, glaring at a set of reports. Gaeta, his normal calm demeanor more than a little frayed, stood a foot away waiting anxiously for the Admiral to finish so he could go.

"That was quick." Adama commented when Tigh joined him.

"Yes, well." Tigh said, shrugging. "The ladies were eager to finish early." Saul watched his friend from the corner of his eyes, noticing the dark scowl that sped across his features for a moment and smiled to himself. _Gods, those two have really got to him._

"Why don't you take a break?" He suggested casually. "I can handle the fleet."

"I'm fine." The Admiral growled in return.

"Get out of here, Bill." Tigh answered, "It's my job to put the fear of the Gods in the crew, not yours."

For the first time in days the Admiral looked up and took note of the subdued atmosphere that permeated the CIC. As he glanced around his shoulders sagged a little as he realized that none of his officer were quite willing to meet his gaze.

"Get going." Tigh said in a softer tone. "Get some rest and clear your head." The Admiral didn't protest any further as he gathered up the reports Gaeta had given him and started towards his quarters. Saul watched him go and waited till the marine had closed the door behind him before turning to Dee.

"Put me through to the Admiral's quarters." He ordered. Dee looked up in puzzlement. The Admiral had only just left, and he wouldn't have made it back to his quarters yet. She opened her mouth to say so when Tigh glared at her.

"Just do it, Dee, and secure the line." With a frown Dee did as the Colonel ordered and passed the line to the plotting table the moment it rang. Tigh took the horn from the table and waited for the line to pick up before speaking.

"He's on his way. Happy hunting." Smiling to himself Saul put the horn back into its cradle and returned his attention to the fleet.

----------------------------------

"He's on his way." Raven said, putting the horn back and making her way over to the side table while unbuttoning her jacket. Laura nodded and kicked off her heels while rearranging her blouse. She had already discarded her own jacket. The women hurriedly moved around the Admiral's quarters, setting the scene for their upcoming performance.

The Admiral stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed the two women lounging on his couch. And lounging was exactly the right word. Both women had removed their jackets and there were empty glasses on the table, with a green sheen of ambrosia clinging to the rim. Laura was barefoot and had her legs tucked in underneath her. Raven's hand rested casually upon the Laura's knee. Both women were smiling and leaning too close together for this to be anything other than a romantic get-together.

"That's enough!" He snapped, barely realizing that he was shouting. The two women didn't start though, clearly they had been aware of his entry. And both now turned their attention to him.

"Oh, come on now, Bill," Raven said, "Be a good sport, I'm sure you can appreciate the need for a little privacy."

A deep blush crept up on the Admiral's neck and cheeks as he noticed that all though Raven was looking at him, her hand was drawing languid circles across Laura's skin, slowly edging upwards toward the hem of her navy blue skirt. Unable to restrain his temper any longer he strode forward and grabbed Raven's upper arm, physically dragging her up off the couch and shoving her towards the hatch.

"Get out!" He growled. "Both of you!" He added as he looked back towards Laura. The President smiled up at him from her position on the couch, a sweet, lazy smile. One he had seen only once before, in the moments after they'd shared their first tender kiss. In spite of the fact that he was furious with both women that smile still managed to ignite a powerful desire within his gut.

Laura slowly got to her feet and folded her arms, apparently unaware of the fact that with the top two buttons of her blouse undone that particular gesture offered him a spectacular view.

"I thought I had a standing invitation to use your quarters, Admiral." She said.

Tearing his gaze away from the President's chest he forced himself to look her in the eye.

"Not for this." He rasped, realizing full well that anger was only half the reason for his voice threatening to fail him.

"What's the matter with you, Bill?" Raven asked indignantly as she rubbed her upper arm. The Admiral turned to look at the Commander, relieved for the distraction she provided from Laura.

"It's not like we have a commitment or anything." Raven continued as she folded her own arms, becoming Laura's mirror image. It didn't really help either that military issue tanks weren't exactly made with virtue and discretion in mind.

"You and me both have had other partners. So what's the problem?"

"You know perfectly well what the problem is." The Admiral growled.

"Well, I'm afraid I don't, Admiral." Laura said. "And I would like to know. Do you have a problem with me being intimately involved with a woman? Are you that narrow minded?"

"No!" The Admiral barked, resenting the accusation.

"Then what?" Laura asked. The Admiral looked at her, noticing she somehow managed to look very presidential in spite of the rather compromising situation he had found her in. Against his will his eyes once again started to drift lower, traveling from those fierce green eyes down to her chin, lingering briefly upon her mouth. It was then that he noticed her lipstick was slightly smudged. Abruptly his gaze snapped over to Raven. Normally the Commander didn't wear lipstick, but right now there was a sheen of color on her lips, and it happened to be the exact same shade that Laura was wearing.

"You kissed her?" He blurted out, too stunned and hurt to bother covering up his emotions. He realized full well that he should have known, of course they would kiss. _Frak, they'd spent last night together on Colonial One._ But seeing it, knowing it had happened here, in his own quarters, probably only moments before he entered… It was too much.

Raven tilted her chin upwards in a deviant gesture, Laura at least had the decency to blush ever so slightly.

"Yes." Raven answered. "And what of it?"

Raven's deviant response snapped him out of his stunned silence and reawakened his anger. It took every ounce of his tattered self control not to hit her right then and there. Instead he reached out and once more grabbed her arm and dragged her over to the hatch. He hardly cared that if he threw her out into the corridor looking like she did now everyone was going to know exactly what had happened in here before he arrived.

"Admiral!" Laura barked, using her very best Presidential voice, at this particular moment that wouldn't have been enough to stop him, her hand on his arm however did precisely that.

"What?!" He barked, spinning back to face her.

"Let Raven go." Laura ordered. "And then you're going to tell me exactly what the problem is."

For a long moment nothing happened as powerful emotions warred for supremacy in his body. There was an almost insurmountable anger threatening to burst out of him at any moment. But at the same time there was a burning desire, fuelled by the fact that she still had her hand on his arm and stood close enough for him to smell her perfume. Abruptly he let go of Raven and grabbed both of Laura's arms, not nearly as tight as he'd gripped Raven but hard enough regardless.

"_I_ want you." He growled as he pulled her towards him, closing what little distance remained between the two of them.

"I want you." He repeated once more, staring at her, drinking in every detail of her face, from the fact that her lips were slightly parted to the bright green color of her eyes. "Are you happy now?" He asked gruffly.

"Very." Raven answered. The Admiral's head snapped around to the Commander.

"Finally." Laura whispered before he could even begin to formulate a response. Completely mystified with both women now the Admiral turned back again and found Laura gripping his uniform at the waist as she leaned closer still. When their lips brushed together he was too stunned to even think of responding.

Laura smiled against his mouth and pushed a little further, parting her lips and tracing her tongue across his lower lip. It didn't take anymore than that. A noise that might best be described as a growl escaped from the Admiral as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back.

Their first kiss had been the embodiment of tenderness; their second kiss was nothing but raw desire.

"My, my." Raven said once they'd finally broken apart, both of them breathing heavily. "I hope that was every bit as good as I promised it would be." Laura blushed but still nodded.

"It was." She murmured. His mind still reeling from what had just happened the Admiral looked from one woman to the other. The fact that he held Laura securely wrapped in his arms didn't exactly speed along his reasoning skills but he managed to get so far as to realize that there was something not quite right.

"What the frak is going on?" He growled.

"Darling," Raven said with a smirk. "If I have to spell it out for you, it's definitely been too long."

"I'm sorry, Bill." Laura whispered. Slowly it began to dawn on the Admiral exactly what these two women had been doing to him for the past few days.

"You!" He growled, directing his anger at Raven. "You set me up!" Raven grinned broadly, completely unfazed by the anger blazing in the Admiral's eyes.

"I sure did." She answered. "With all due respect, Admiral, but you needed a good kick in the behind." The Admiral continued to glare angrily at Raven, who wasn't the least bit intimidated

"Bill." Laura murmured, sliding her hand to the back of his neck. "Don't fight."

His anger quickly dissipated as he pulled her tightly against his body. "I should throw the both of you in the brig." He grumbled.

"For what exactly?" Raven asked as she strolled over to where her jacket lay strewn across the table. "Seducing a military officer?"

The Admiral winced at the remark and grumbled. "You could have gone about this a little more delicately."

"Honestly, Bill, what did you expect?" Raven said, smirking broadly as she shrugged back into her uniform. "You know me. I like fraking you, but I like fraking with your head more. I wasn't about to pass up an opportunity like this one. Which reminds me." Raven glanced down at her time piece and turned to Laura.

"Unfortunately you have a Quorom meeting in fifteen minutes. And unless you want to explain to twelve delegates exactly why you were late we have to get going now."

"Gods, Raven." The Admiral grumbled. "Haven't you tortured me enough already?"

"Bill," Raven said as she finished buttoning up her uniform. "It will never be enough."

"I'm sorry." Laura whispered again, a note of real regret in her voice as she extracted herself from his embrace. He reluctantly let her go. He watched silently as she took her jacket from Raven and fixed her attire, he was especially sorry to see her button up her blouse, remembering the feeling of her pressed up tightly against his chest.

As Laura stepped out into the corridor and strode away towards the hangar deck Raven lingered for a brief moment, giving him a rare sympathetic look.

"You know, you're impersonation of a lost puppy is quite endearing." She remarked, which earned her a scowl. Raven snickered quietly knowing there was no sting to his glare.

"Don't worry," She said "I'm taking personal responsibility for your love life, everything will turn out just fine." Before the Admiral could even begin to respond to that remark the Commander exited and hurried along after the President. Leaving the Admiral with the disheartening knowledge that he was now at the complete mercy of both women. Which in all honesty he had been all along, he just hadn't realized it.


	8. Chapter 8

_It's been a while, but here we go again... don't worry, chapter 9 won't take me nearly as long (has already been beta'd, should be up here by next week...) enjoy!_

Chapter 8 - Jitters

"Will you relax?"

Laura Roslin ignored the exasperated comment and continued to shuffle through the stack of blue cards, muttering softly to herself. Raven shook her head and tried again.

"This is Baltar we're talking about. That ever illusive mad genius who seems to enjoy bashing his head into walls for no particular reason."

Laura still did not look up from her cards, but at least she stopped muttering to herself long enough to answer. "I can't loose this election. Baltar as president would be a disaster."

"You're not going to lose, people aren't that stupid." When Laura didn't respond Raven got up from her seat. "That's it, this calls for drastic measures."

Laura looked up when Raven's hand closed around her upper arm, dragging her up from her seat.

"Raven? What are you doing? I have to prepare."

"No, you have to relax, so you're coming with me right now."

Laura managed to grab the stack of cards before she was physically dragged from her office.

"Tori," Raven said as they passed the aide's desk. "Call the hanger deck, the President will be shuttling to Galactica a little earlier than scheduled."

Tori opened her mouth to object but found herself faced with the retreating back of the Commander before she could get a word out. Scowling, the aide picked up the phone and made the call while gathering her own papers in a rush to follow the two women.

Raven pushed the President across the threshold into the Admiral's quarters and closed the hatch, leaving Tory standing in the hallway. Laura glanced around furtively before turning back to Raven.

"I really don't want to bother Bill right now."

"He's in CIC."

"Oh. Still. This isn't helping me relax."

"You seemed pretty relaxed the last few times I've seen you here."

"Looks can be deceiving." Laura muttered.

Raven caught the comment and quirked a single eyebrow. "How so?"

Laura shrugged. Raven however wasn't about to let the subject drop.

"You didn't enjoy dinner with the Admiral two nights ago? Or the lunch date three days before that? Or the breakfast meeting last week?"

A heated blush crept up on Laura's cheeks.

"I did, it's just…. The admiral … Bill and I…" Laura gestured ineffectively.

Raven couldn't quite suppress a smile. It wasn't often she got to see the other woman at a loss for words. "Haven't frakked yet?" She finished.

Laura's blush deepened several shades. "He told you?"

"Laura, I've known William Adama for close to forty years, he doesn't have to tell me, I know when he's not getting any."

Laura couldn't help but snort at Raven's deadpan remark.

"So, what's the problem?" Raven asked.

"Problem?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "I know he's more than willing and so are you. Frak, you could light fires with the looks you two have been giving each other for the past two weeks. What's holding you back?"

"Nothing, it's just… I don't want to rush into anything."

"You've got to be kidding me, who's rushing? You two have been tap-dancing around each other for close to nine months, I've seen senior citizens with a shorter courting ritual."

"I… I need to be sure."

"Sure of what?"

Laura turned away from the Commander, fidgeting with the lapel of her jacket to keep her hands occupied. "That this isn't some sordid affair. I've been down that road Raven, and I don't ever want to be in that position ever again. I need this to mean something or it's not worth the heartache. The last man I was with…"

When Laura fell silent Raven softly supplied the rest. "Richard Adar."

Laura spun around and spent several moments staring at Raven before she managed to chock out the question. "You knew?"

"I wasn't born yesterday." Raven answered calmly "You said a few things and well…"

The question burned at the back of Laura's throat for a few seconds before she managed to force it out. "Does Bill know?"

Raven gave her a reassuring smile. "No, of course not. I wouldn't do that to you. And he's not going to figure it out on his own, the man might be brilliant when it comes to military tactics, but he can be rather obtuse when it comes to women."

The relief washed over Laura. She knew that if she wanted her relationship with Bill to mean something she'd have to tell him about Richard at some point. But the thought of him finding out before she was ready was unsettling.

"Did you love him?"

Laura looked at Raven for a moment, mulling the soft-spoken question over for a long time before answering. "I don't know, probably, at least in the beginning. Richard was…." A heavy sigh followed. It had been a while since she'd though of Richard, but the last few days he'd been increasingly on her mind. "I suppose you can't always chose who you fall in love with."

"And you weren't happy."

Laura shrugged. "What is happiness?"

"Trust me on this, Laura. If you have to ask, you weren't happy and I know a little bit about what it feels like to be stuck in that situation."

"I knew what I was getting into."

"Did you really?"

Laura hesitated for a moment but then shook her head. "It doesn't matter in any regard. It's in the past."

"And yet we're talking about it." Raven insisted. "Look, let's speak plainly for a moment. What you want is certainty, a guarantee that Bill loves you and will never leave you."

Laura smiled. "That would be nice, yes."

"You're not going to get it. There are no guarantees in life, all I can give you - all he can give you, is the knowledge that he loves you now and has no intention of ever leaving you."

Laura remained silent for a long time before she spoke again, gazing down at the carpet beneath her feet. "I've told you before, there's a lot at stake here. If this doesn't work out, we'll still have to lead this fleet together."

"Should it come to that you'll deal with it. We're all reasonable adults."

Laura snorted with derision. "You wouldn't be saying that if you'd been around when we found Kobol."

"Perhaps." Raven admitted. "But I know this, survival alone isn't enough of a reason to live. So what are you living for? And don't tell me it's the fleet, that's something a President would live for, but I'm not asking the President, I'm asking you, Laura Roslin."

Laura looked up and met Raven's grey eyes. A silence settled between the two women but in the end Raven was first to speak. Ignoring the seriousness of the discussion they'd just had she smiled and glanced down at her timepiece. "I need to go or I'll be late for a briefing, and you have a debate to prepare for. You'll be okay here?"

"Yes."

"Don't worry about Baltar, if you start to get nervous just picture him naked."

The tension dissipated as Laura burst into nervous giggles. "Oh damn it, Raven, that's an image I don't need inside my mind."

Raven smirked. "Good luck, Madam President."

"Thank you, for everything."

Raven's smile softened as she nodded. "You're welcome."

"Look who's here."

The Admiral looked up at Saul's comment and followed his friend's gaze to find Raven stepping into the CIC, he straightened up and waited for her to make her way down to the plotting table.

"What are you doing here?"

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?" She answered with a teasing smile.

His eyes narrowed and Raven grinned as she stepped closer, lowering her voice.

"I accompanied a certain redhead over from Colonial One. She's currently pacing around your quarters with a serious case of pre-debate jitters. I suggest you go soothe them."

"I can't just…"

"Oh for frak's sake Bill," Saul muttered with exasperation. "Go! I'll cover your shift."

The Admiral glanced from one to the other for a moment, then shook his head and left.

Saul waited until the Admiral was out of earshot before turning to the Commander. "So, how's our schoolteacher dealing with all this?"

"Well enough." Raven answered. "Although I might not have bothered setting them up if I'd known beforehand how much work this was going to be."

"Right." Saul drawled. "You're just the type to let sleeping dogs lie. But that was actually not what I wanted to know."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "What was it you did want to know?"

"Is she going to win this thing?"

"The election? You're kidding, right? This is Baltar we're talking about, she could beat him in her sleep."

"It's not Baltar I'm worried about, it's Zarek. That terrorist has something up his sleeve, you can bet on that."

Raven shook her head. "What's he going to do, steal the election? Don't worry, Saul. Everything's going to be just fine."

Raven glanced down at her timepiece again and took her leave, realizing she would be late for Thrace's briefing if she didn't hurry. Saul watched her go with a frown.

"_I'm glad everybody's so damn sure," _He thought to himself. "_But with Starbuck hopping back to Caprica, the election and this budding love affair something's bound to go screwy, and I'll be damned before I'm going to address that frak weasel with 'Mr. President''."_

When Bill Adama reached his quarters he found Tory standing in the corridor just outside, along with Laura's security detail. It had been necessary to inform the aide of their intentions and the young woman had been less than thrilled with the prospect of this rather large complicating factor in the middle of an election campaign. She wasn't looking too happy to be here either, and her expression soured further as she watched him approach.

"She has two minutes."

The admiral refrained from commenting on the rather clipped tone and knocked on the hatch before stepping into his quarters.

He found Laura standing barefoot in the middle of the room, holding two halves of a blue note card. Several pieces of similar cards were scattered on the floor around her. It took him a moment to process the image, leaving little room to come up with something to say.

"Hi."

He could have smacked himself over that particular enlightened remark, but she smiled even though there was a nervous twitch at the corner of her mouth.

"Hi."

The tension that had become their constant companion whenever they were alone together reared its ugly head and he quickly sought an escape before it could settle between them.

"Do you want a drink?"

She was as aware of the growing tension as he was but for a brief moment did nothing to deflect it, rather she ignored his question and only looked at him. Raven's words came to mind, pushing aside the nervous jitters that had been plaguing her. What was she living for? There were no certainties in life, not even before the Cylons had returned, why would there be now? Could she live a life of duty alone, never running the risk of giving her heart to another or was she brave enough to take that risk and see where it led her?

"Yes."

He frowned. He had voiced a simple question and she'd provided him with a simple answer, but there seemed to be more to it than just that. He hesitated, but with two minutes left before the debate was to start, now was not the time to get into it, so he nodded and went to pour them each a glass of water.

Raven had shuttled back to Galactica after the briefing and spent a moment talking to Tory before she pushed through the tightly packed crowd toward the Admiral. Several reporters grumbled but quieted down as soon as they realized who was pushing past them. The press was comfortable enough on Galactica but were still weary of Pegasus and her crew, mindful of the rumors that were circulating the fleet. Even so, they had sense enough to give the Admiral his space, leaving him with a bit of privacy.

"What did I miss?" She asked, as soon as she took up position at his side. Bill kept his gaze on the podium while he answered, in particular on the woman whose voice was effortlessly filling the room.

"Not much, they're still on ration distribution. How did the briefing go?"

"Well enough. There was a bit of a stink about the Cylon being involved, but Captain Thrace managed to keep it in hand."

"How many volunteered?"

"Everyone."

The Admiral nodded, it didn't really come as a surprise. Kara had a way of inspiring people when she wanted to and this subject had fueled her passion more than any other in the last nine months.

Raven stepped a little closer and leaned in.

"Tory mentioned something about giggling fits. What did you do?"

A tiny smile appeared. "Nothing, all we did was talk about her preparation for the debate, and what my father used to do before court."

"The pencil story? That got her giggling like a little school girl? You sure it wasn't something else?"

Adama hesitated briefly before he spoke. "No."

"No?" Raven asked with a pleasant smile.

"There wasn't time for anything else."

"I seem to recall a certain someone who didn't need that much time to get a girl giggling."

"That was a long time ago. I'm not that young anymore."

Raven smiled. "I beg to differ."

Bill smiled in turn and shook his head.

Laura felt as if the debate itself was etched into her brain in graphic detail but as soon as it ended the world seemed to blur, leaving her in a pleasant daze. Somehow she'd made it out of the Ready-room in one piece. Tory had managed to guide her past the reporters and out into the corridor where Raven was already waiting. The Commander took her by the arm while Tory turned to deal with the press core.

Raven led her down the corridor, ordering her security to make sure no reporters were following. The men nodded and all but two peeled away while Raven steered her towards the quarters of the senior officers. Two marines were standing guard on either side of the Admiral's hatch, indicating he was inside when the two women pushed through.

"Sit down." Raven said with a gentle tone as she brought Laura to the couch.

"Here."

Laura blinked and looked up, finding that Bill was offering her a glass of water.

"Thank you." She muttered as she took the glass but found her hands trembled so badly she almost spilt its contents. As she gulped the water down her world slowly came back into focus.

"There." Raven said, noticing her return to reality. "Now, how does it feel to be elected President?"

Laura nearly choked on her water as she laughed. "That's a little premature."

"Just one more debate and three more days, with the lead you have now, what could possibly go wrong?"

"Lots of things." Laura muttered as her gaze wandered over to Bill, who was standing back a little.

Raven took one look at Laura's face and smiled. _Nothing like the taste of victory to help reorient one's priorities_. She tought and rose from her perch on the coffee table. "Maybe I should take my leave."

Laura didn't acknowledge her, and Bill might not even have heard her.

"I'll tell Tory you'll be over first thing in the morning." She said, for a moment Laura took her eyes off of Bill and nodded, before turning her full attention back to the Admiral.

Raven shook her head with an amused smile and left, making sure to pull the hatch shut behind her. She just hoped they wouldn't forget to lock it before tearing the clothes off each other's body. But just to be safe she'd make sure they weren't disturbed, and to that effect turned her attention to the men standing in the corridor.

"Gentlemen."

Both the marines of the Admiral's detail and the two civilians in charge of the President's safety looked up.

"For the remainder of the night, should anyone ask you where the President is, what are you going to say?"

The four men didn't answer for a moment, though several grins were quickly hidden. Though silent the men certainly weren't stupid and had probably long since figured out what was going on between their respective bosses.

"Guest quarters, ma'am?" The Lieutenant in charge of the Admiral's detail finally offered.

Raven nodded with satisfaction. "Doing what?"

"We're not at liberty to disclose that information, ma'am." One of Laura's guards answered, quick and confident. Clearly it was a line he was familiar with.

Raven nodded again. "Neither the President nor the Admiral are to be disturbed tonight."

"Yes, ma'am."

Raven fixed each of the four men with a hard glare. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you to keep your mouths shut, but just in case, should I ever catch so much as a whiff of a rumor, even the frakking Cylons will feel sorry for you once I'm through. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am." Chorused the men.

"Good, now you can go do your thing from the end of corridor, no need to stand around here all night."

The older of the two civilians frowned. "But ma'am, what if…"

"Give it a rest, Reynolds." The Lieutenant said pleasantly. "Guest quarters are further down the hall. And besides, these walls aren't soundproofed."

"Oh," Reynolds answered. "In that case the end of the hall is just fine with me."

"I thought so." Raven muttered and gestured for the men to lead the way.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - Failure 

Two weeks ago she'd lain in Bill's arms, wondering how she was going to make it back to Colonial One without anyone catching on to the fact she'd spent the night in the Admiral's quarters. But she'd been happy, for the first time in a long time. How had she gone from that moment to this mess in less than fourteen days? Here she was listening to Bill, telling her in a grave voice what Saul had tried to do.

"… a judicial tribunal may have to be convened."

"Stop." She managed to choke out the word and he immediately looked at her. She flinched when those blue eyes looked straight into her soul.

"I gave Tory the go ahead. I didn't know exactly what she was planning, I certainly didn't know about Colonel Tigh. Oh my Gods, but I did know that she was planning to fix the vote."

"You tried to steal an election?"

He actually sounded surprised. He shouldn't be, he should know by now what she was capable of.

"Yes I did. And I got caught. But Gaius Baltar cannot become President of the colonies, Bill, it cannot happen."

"Laura I don't want him as president either but…"

She interrupted him, blurting out the one thing that she hadn't told anyone else. "He's working with the Cylons, I saw him just before the attack on Caprica with a copy of the tall blond Cylon woman. The same model who accused Baltar of treason before disappearing from Galactica."

He blinked, then frowned. "What the hell are you saying, why didn't you say something before this?"

"Because I didn't remember seeing him with that woman, until I remembered it when I was dying. I know how that sounds but it's real. The same way that Kobol is real, and the tomb of Athena is real, and the map to earth is real. Baltar is working with the Cylons."

Silence stretched between them as he looked at her. She searched his face, his eyes, looking for a hint to what he might be thinking but she could not make out anything from his expression.

"Even if that's true, you have no proof."

Her gut twisted as she listened to him, and wondered what to make of his answer. Did he believe her? Or was there still doubt, even after everything that had happened, everything he'd seen.

"No I don't."

For a moment nothing happened, then his gaze dropped from hers as he slowly settled down on the chair in front of her desk.

"Do we steal the results of a democratic election or not? That's the decision because if we do this, we are criminals. Un-indicted maybe, but criminals just the same."

'We' she'd never been more relieved to hear anyone use that particular pronoun. It meant more to her than she could possible put into words. To know that he still stood by her.

"Yes we are." She said nothing more, could think of nothing more to say. There was no point in trying to further justify her actions, he knew all her arguments now, all her considerations. If that wasn't enough, nothing she could say would change that.

"You won't do it. We've gotten this far, but that's it."

She blinked. What was he saying? She'd already done it, proven that she could and would. "Excuse me?"

"You try to steal this election, you'll die inside. Likely move your cancer right to your heart. The people made their choice. We'll have to live with it."

She sat staring at him for a long moment, making no effort to fight the tears stinging her eyes. So that was her choice. You or we. I or we. She knew with every fiber of her body that giving the Presidency to Baltar would bring disaster to the human race, but the moment she tried to avert that disaster she'd be on her own. If, on the other hand, she'd let it happen, he'd stand by her to weather whatever catastrophe would come.

"It's the wrong choice."

She whispered the words, a final plea. Knowing that her choice was already made. She couldn't do this alone. It had always been between the two of them. He'd said so when he came for her on Kobol and it still held true.

"Yes it is."

A single tear slipped down her cheek as she realized he wasn't going to budge. Not that she really expected him to.

"All right, all right all right." A sigh escaped her, and it felt like it was being wrenched from her soul. "So that's it. We just give it up, just like that."

"The battle perhaps, but not the war."

She nodded and wiped at the tear stains on her cheek. Forcing a faint smile she reached for him across the desk only to find that he'd dropped his gaze to the floor.

"Bill?"

He got up but continued to avoid her gaze.

"I'll settle matters with Baltar. Don't worry about it, there's not going to be an inquiry."

He turned and left before she could even begin to think of a response. Leaving her desperately alone, sitting in an office that was no longer hers.

The meeting with Baltar had left him with a vile taste in his mouth and more than a fair share of doubt gnawing at the edge of his determination. But at least Laura wouldn't be in any trouble. There were bound to be raised eyebrows, and the reputation of the military, which hadn't been spotless to begin with, would no doubt take a beating, but there wasn't going to be an official inquiry.

He had hoped that that knowledge would make him feel a little better about the whole matter, but it did nothing to settle the turmoil in his heart. Part of him still couldn't believe she'd done it, had actually planned to steal a democratic election. He knew, logically, that it was true. Saul was many things, but in his heart he was a soldier, he followed orders, he wouldn't have come up with this on his own. Tory might have, but she was too much of a politician to do it without covering her back, and that's where Laura would have come in.

He shook his head, and then pinched the bridge of his nose. So far he hadn't really sat down to consider how he felt about all this, he'd simply followed his instincts and reacted accordingly. And for now that would have to do, maybe when things settled a little he would have the time, but for now there was work to be done. With a heavy sigh he picked up the phone and asked Dee to give him a secure line to Pegasus. A moment later the communications officer of Pegasus put him through to Raven's private quarters.

"_Jacks, here."_

"Raven, I need you to put together a detailed summary on the aerial surveys of the planet, with special attention to areas suitable for settlement."

"_What for?"_

"We have orders from the President to set a course for New Caprica."

"_That doesn't answer my question. Why would you want to look at areas suitable for settlement on that dirt ball if all we're going to do is stock up on supplies?"_

He lowered his head to his hand and sighed.

"Raven, for once could you just follow orders?"

"_No, Admiral, I think, as your second in Command I deserve some answers here."_

She was right of course, Raven did deserve to know, he just wasn't looking forward to saying it out loud.

"Laura rigged the election, with the help of Tory Foster and Saul. Lieutenant Gaeta found out and came to me."

A moment of silence followed before Raven spoke in a quiet, dispassionate voice. _"I see. And what did you do?"_

"I confronted Laura. Convinced her that she couldn't go through with it. I just informed Baltar that he's now President of the Twelve Colonies."

When Raven spoke again, her voice was so low that he almost didn't catch it.

"_You frakking idiot."_

His anger flared. He'd allowed Raven an awful lot of leeway, but there was a line, and when push came to shove she was still his subordinate. "Excuse me?"

But Raven chose to ignore the anger in his voice and launched into a full-blown tirade of her own.

"_On her worst day Laura is a better President than that frakker could ever hope to be and you go and hand him the Presidency? Have you lost your marbles? And settlement… did you even look at the weather reports? It's only a few degrees above freezing in the temperate zones and this is the warm season! Half of them will freeze to death before…"_

"Commander!"

A loaded silence followed his outburst. It took a few moments before he managed to regain some control and he could speak in a more civil tone.

"Plot a jump to New Caprica and get me that summary, ASAP. Those are your orders, Commander."

This time Raven didn't push, but instead ground out the appropriate response.

"_Yes, sir." _

"Good, Adama out."

Raven sat staring at the phone for several seconds after the Admiral had hung up on her. Then she picked it up again and told the duty officer to prepare a Raptor for immediate departure and to send Colonel Adama to her quarters.

Ten minutes later Colonel Adama was standing in her quarters, barely able to get a salute off before Raven provided him with his orders.

"I want you to plot a jump to New Caprica for the whole fleet, and put together a summary of the aerial surveys, to be delivered to the Admiral as soon as possible."

A questioning look passed over the Colonel's features, but sensing the mood of his superior officer he was wise enough not to push for an explanation. If he had he might not have survived it with his eardrums intact.

"You're in command, I'll be on Colonial One." Raven snapped as she pushed past the Colonel and strode out into the corridor.

"Yes ma'am." Lee muttered to an empty room.

Twenty minutes later Raven strode out into a press-room packed with raucous reporters. Less than five minutes before she'd set down on Colonial One's hangar deck a fleet wide broadcast had announced that there had been a tabulating error and that a recount had resulted in Gaius Baltar winning the election.

"Make a hole!" She snapped at the nearest bunch of reporters. When no one responded, Raven pushed her way past them. It took considerable force to get to the Presidential office, which was being guarded by two stone-faced marines.

Once inside she found a number of staff members milling around with dejected looks on their faces, Tory Foster was the only exception. She had a fierce look about her as she directed the staff members while they packed up the office. Briefly their gazes met and though the women had no particular like or dislike for one another a moment of understanding passed between them.

"She's in there." Tory said softly, nodding towards the private section behind the curtain.

"Do you think you could get rid of the reporters?" Raven asked.

Tory grimaced. "I can try. But it would probably be best if she didn't come out for a while."

"Just tell them that next time I see them I'll be making holes the literal way." Raven patted her sidearm as she said it.

Tory snorted. "I'm not sure it'll help, but I'll pass it along."

Raven stepped through the curtain and let it fall shut behind her. Near complete darkness surrounded her and she stood still for several seconds, allowing her eyes to adjust to the gloom.

The President's private quarters weren't exactly spacious, and once her eyes had adjusted Raven spotted Laura with no trouble. She was sitting on the makeshift cot, her back turned to the curtain.

"Go away."

Laura's voice was steady and it took someone who knew her well to notice that it was a fraction higher than usual. Raven ignored the command and approached the bed.

"I really don't think you should be alone right now."

Laura laughed softly, but it sounded bitter and cold. Raven frowned and reached out to put a hand on the woman's shoulder. The laughter stopped but Raven felt a tremor under her hand and squeezed gently.

"Look, I'll spend the night. Tomorrow you'll come and stay with me on the Pegasus."

There was a twitch in the shoulder under her hand and Raven tightened her grip.

"It's not a suggestion. It's the only place where I can keep you safe from those vultures outside and every other nut job out there with a grudge."

Laura's shoulder sagged a bit and Raven gave another gentle squeeze.

"Baltar will be here in the morning." Laura stated in low voice.

Raven's free hand balled into a fist and a few choice words concerning the President-Elect and his lack of patience rolled around her tongue. She bit them back though and squeezed Laura's shoulder again.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be here with you."

"Thank you."

There was a tremor in her voice now and Raven frowned. Losing the election was bound to upset Laura but this seemed to be something else, something more. Knowing William Adama as she did, she wouldn't be surprised to find he had something to do with it. Letting go of her shoulder she took hold of Laura's chin, turning her head to look at her face. Even in the darkness surrounding them she could see the glint of tears gathering in the corner of Laura's eyes and tightened her grip a little. There had been something she wanted to say but she'd forgotten what it was, so she silently reached out and wiped away the tears. For a brief moment they sat and looked at one another.

"Come." Raven said and took a gentle hold on Laura's arm. "Let's get you ready for bed."

Laura wasn't surprised when Raven woke up mere moments before the alarm was set to go off. She reached out and shut off the buzzer before it had a chance to disturb the peace but made no move to get out of bed. Raven took a moment to rub her face and stretch out the kinks in her muscles before turning her attention to Laura.

"Did you get any sleep?"

A slight shrug was the only answer Laura was willing to give. "How do you military types do it?"

"Do what?"

"Sleep like that, as if there is nothing in the universe worth worrying over. Do they give classes at military school: 'how to sleep soundly 101'?"

Raven smiled. "As a matter a fact they do. During basic training they trump you out of bed at 0400 and run you ragged for sixteen hours. You learn to grab as much sleep as you can, when you can. I've even seen men sleep standing upright."

"Oh." Laura dropped her gaze and spent a few moments fidgeting with the edge of her blanket. "I didn't know that."

"That's okay, you know now, and it's not important in any case."

"I suppose not." Laura muttered as she spent a few moments fidgeting with the edge of her blanket. Raven waited and was eventually rewarded with a soft-spoken question.

"How much did he tell you?"

"That you tried to rig the election, along with Saul and Tory. That he found out, confronted you and that you decided not to go through with it."

"Nothing else?"

"No, those were pretty much his exact words. And I'm afraid my response was less than professional."

"How so?"

"I've never paid much attention to the rules, so I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure a subordinate is not supposed to dress down a superior officer."

A weak smile played across Laura's lips. "I'd liked to have heard that."

"Not much to hear." Raven answered with a shrug. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Laura looked up to find a gentle expression on Raven's face and knew it was an offer to listen, rather than a request for information. Some day she might take her up on that offer, but today it was all still too fresh.

"Maybe later." Laura murmured, annoyed by the fact that her voice wasn't as steady as she wanted it to be.

Raven nodded and stretched one more time before she got up out of the chair she'd been sleeping in. She folded and stowed the blanket she'd used and straightened out her uniform. She did all of it with slow and measured care, allowing Laura time to get herself together.

"I'm okay now." Laura stated after a few moments and to prove it sat up and swung her legs down to the floor. Raven turned to her and moved to the side of her cot. Kneeling down, she reached out and put a warm hand on Laura's knee.

"I'll be outside, if you need me."

Laura nodded and ventured what she hoped was a grateful smile. Raven smiled in turn and gave a final squeeze before she got up and stepped out into the office. Laura sighed and got up, it was time to leave.

Once she'd taken a shower and got dressed it took surprisingly little time to pack up her belongings. When she was finished she stood in the middle of the small room. It felt odd to stand there, knowing that this was the last time she'd be here. In all, the room didn't look that different. She'd never had many personal belongings and what little she had was stuffed into a small bag. But it had been home for the last nine months and now it belonged to someone else.

_To Baltar_

A stab of fear and anger made her clench her fists. She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Baltar's presidency was going to be a disaster. Even if her suspicions of him being a Cylon collaborator were false, his administration would be a complete and utter catastrophe. But there was nothing she could do about it now. She'd tried and had been found out.

With a sigh she bent and picked up the bag, refusing to look over her shoulder she stepped out.

Raven stood waiting for her.

"Is that all?" Raven asked, silently offering to take her bag. Laura handed it over with a nod but stilled when Raven's hand closed over her own and tightened. She looked up to find a mixture of anger and concern in the Commander's eyes. "We just heard from the hangar deck. Baltar's already here."

Laura swallowed and clamped down hard on the swell of emotion stirring in the pit of her stomach. She was not afraid of Baltar, if anything she was angry with the man, but that didn't mean she was looking forward to a confrontation with him, not this soon. Raven didn't have to ask, one look and she knew.

"Let's go." She said as she put a hand on Laura's elbow "The Raptor is waiting."

Laura nodded, grateful for the warmth and strength in Raven's touch. She was going to need it too because the chances of them making it to the Raptor without running into Baltar were slim at best. They made it as far as the press-room before they found themselves face to face with the President-Elect and to make matters worse, Tom Zarek was right beside him.

Raven shifted just a little, stepping halfway in between the two men and Laura. It was a protective gesture that would have annoyed Laura to no end as recently as two days ago, but now it felt only comforting. A tense silence settled in the room as they regarded each another.

Laura was fairly certain military protocol stated that Raven should salute her new Commander-in-Chief, even if he wasn't sworn in yet, but the Commander remained stoically silent, glaring at Baltar and Zarek.

It was Zarek who broke the silence.

"Commander Jacks, Doctor Roslin." He said by way of greeting, accompanied by a smile that was the envy of many a politician. Laura had never liked or trusted that smile. Raven wasn't falling for it either, Laura could feel her tense with the perceived insult, even though Zarek was perfectly within his rights to greet her by her academic title.

Baltar wasn't nearly as gracious, or as smooth.

"What are you still doing here?"

Raven bristled visibly and glared at him with a fervor almost exclusively reserved for Cylons. Baltar had the good sense to be intimidated and swayed back on his heels.

"We were just leaving." Raven ground out and started forward, only to be blocked by Zarek.

"Where to?" The question was posed innocently enough but Raven wasn't fooled and neither was Laura.

"I've offered Doctor Roslin the use of guest quarters on the Pegasus."

Baltar's face clouded over immediately but Zarek beat him to the punch, smooth as ever.

"I'm not sure it is such a wise idea for the former President to reside aboard a military vessel. It might raise questions that no one is willing to answer."

Raven glared at Zarek until even the former terrorist felt the need to back down. Then for good measure she shifted her glare to Gaius.

"Doctor Roslin is a former head of state." Raven stated, her voice as cold as space itself. "It is tradition for the military to extend such individuals every courtesy. I'm sure you'll want the military to be courteous to you, when you step down."

Until that moment Baltar had clearly thought himself in possession of the military's full support, Bill's actions certainly might have lead him to believe such a thing. But there was no mistaking Raven's meaning and it was obvious from Baltar's bewildered expression that this came as quite a shock.

Not for the first time Laura wondered how a man that was supposed to be a genius could fail to comprehend such simple concepts, like the fact that respect, trust and support were earned, not given.

"All right." He finally managed to stammer, under the full force of Raven's glare. "Fine… Go ahead."

Raven didn't so much as acknowledge him when she strode past the two men, both making sure to get out of her way. Laura followed in Raven's wake and made sure to keep her head held high, though she managed to keep a smug smile tucked away until they'd cleared the room.

"Did you just threaten the President of the Colonies?" Laura asked once they were making their way to the Raptor across the hanger deck.

"I might have." Raven grumbled, still grinding her teeth in anger. "All things considering I let him off easy."

Laura couldn't help but smile, even as she felt concern settle in her stomach.

"That might come back to bite you."

Raven only shrugged. "I can handle Zarek, I'm not worried about him. As for Baltar, if that frakking excuse for a human being so much as looks at me funny…"

"You'll do what?" Laura asked, unable to resist a bout of morbid curiosity, while she strapped herself into her seat.

"There's always the Roslin maneuver." Raven said with a wicked grin.

"The Roslin maneuver?" Laura asked. "What's that?"

"That's what the pilots are calling your signature move, your preferred manner of execution."

For a long moment Laura sat and stared. Then she started laughing and didn't stop till the Raptor was well on its way to Pegasus.


End file.
